Defiant Vengeance
by Similyn
Summary: Left for dead, Marisa survived and swore revenge on Stormwind. While avoiding his past, Adam looks to his future. Content with her life in Stormwind, Kristie finds things don't always go as planned as she is quickly caught up in an unwanted adventure.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Please leave reviews even if it's to say the story is too boring. At least then I'll know I'm on the wrong track__. Thanks! :)_

_Technically, this should be categorized as Romance/Adventure/Drama. just doesn't give a third category options.  
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><p><strong><em>Main Characters:<em>**

_Marisa du'Paige: Former defias member who vows revenge on Stormwind after she is nearly killed working for Vanessa VanCleef. She decides to take things into her own hands and finish Edwin VanCleef's original vision.  
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_Adam: A rogue avoiding his past while trying to make his own future.  
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_Kristie Alexston: A fledgling sculptress content with her life in Stormwind. She finds herself quickly caught up in things beyond her control and on an adventure she never asked for.  
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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

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><p>She was dying. Although she had put up a good fight, the end result was inevitable. After all, it only took five of them to kill her.<p>

"Sweet! Check out these boots!" one of them exclaimed. As their voices faded, so did her vision.

Something touched the woman's neck. She didn't open her eyes. The darkness felt all too inviting. But the darkness would not last as a warm feeling enveloped her, and she slowly became aware of a voice whispering something. A sudden need to take a deep breath awoke her and she did so, arching her back as she gasped. There was pain from the previous fight, but she ignored it as she opened her eyes to see Grixil, speaking over her and healing her wounds. He had saved her. She was alive.

As she recovered, Grixil told her about how the adventurers who had attacked her had also entered the Deadmines and was able to defeat everyone, including Vanessa VanCleef, the one who had revived the old Defias Brotherhood recently. The Brotherhood was now disbanded once again. The woman scowled. "I put my faith in Edwin because I thought he would succeed. But he was cut down before his vision could come to pass. I had my doubts about the daughter, but pledged my loyalty because of her father's vision. As it turns out, Vanessa didn't care about his project in the end. She only wanted to lure people to their deaths."

Grixil nodded his goblin head. "What are your plans now, Mistress?"

She narrowed her steel-grey eyes. "There is nothing left but to do it myself." She clinched her fists, hatred spilling from every part of her. "Edwin VanCleef's vision _will_ be fulfilled. _I_ will be the one to make it happen. And_ I_ will be the one to make Stormwind fall!"

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

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><p>Kristie Alexston stood on the bridge near the statue of Alleria Windrunner watching Foreman Wicks and Mason Goldgild argue about which was the best way to return the Trollbane statue to it's original spot. The statue of the famous hero fell in the recent surprise appearance by Deathwing. Everyone knew of the black dragon from the many stories and legends that surround the corrupted aspect of the dark dragonflight. But few, if any, knew he was still alive. The people of Stormwind were lucky that Deathwing hadn't laid the city flat when he appeared. Fortunately, for whatever reason, the dragon left soon after he had landed.<p>

She glanced up at the two towers that flanked the archway into the Trade District of the city. They still bore Deathwings clawed marks, the stone scorched and, even now, still hot from his touch. There were more members of the Royal Stonecutters Union on scaffolding around those towers working to restore them to their original glory.

Kristie sighed and returned her gaze to the dwarf and human still arguing. At this rate, the Trollbane statue won't get returned to it's rightful place in a long time. Her father won't be happy about that. He was the one who hired those two. She wasn't sure why. The last time those two worked together, they argued all the time as well. Baros Alexston had only said that they were two of the best foremen in the union and that they needed to learn to get along. He had told his daughter not to worry about the statue, it'll get fixed in due time.

She pushed back some of her auburn hair behind her ear and turned to head back to the interior of the city. She decided that by the time they could get that statue put back, she could carve out a new one. Granted, it wouldn't look as good, but her studies and skill are improving every day. And in time, she could join the union and start working on the statues and intricate carvings herself.

She walked through the archway into the Trade District and almost stopped by Trias' Cheese shop for a bit of alterac swiss, but decided otherwise. Thomas Miller, a local baker, waved to her as he called out to passersby, "Freshly baked bread for sale!" She waved back and kept walking. She weaved her way through the Trade District, over a bridge, and into the Cathedral Square.

The Cathedral, as always, was beautiful to behold, but that wasn't why she had come here. She turned to her right and passed the orphanage, waving to a couple of the children as she did. They came running up asking if she was going to come visit today and she promised later when she had more time. They were disappointed, but understood as they walked away. Behind the large orphanage building sat the City Hall where her father worked. She walked up the ramp to the entrance and peeked in. Her father was there, studying charts and blueprints as usual and she smiled. Kristie entered and approached.

"Guess who's still arguing?" She gave him a peck on the cheek and moved to lean against the back of a chair.

"Hm?" He didn't look up from the papers in front of him. "Arguing?"

She gave a bemused smile. Baros Alexston always seemed distracted when he was trying to solve an issue. "Wicks and Goldgild. They still haven't decided which one of them is right."

Baros finally looked up at his daughter. "Oh? Well, no matter. They'll figure it out. They did for the new road to the harbor, remember?" He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand as his stomach growled.

Kristie shook her head and chuckled. "You forgot to go home for lunch again." She reached into her hip pouch and pulled out a small apple, giving it to him. "Here, this should tide you over. Mom said she'll bring something by later."

Baros took the apple gratefully and gave his daughter's hand a squeeze. "I don't know where I'd be without you two looking after me." He sat down and bit into the fruit. "Don't you have a sculpting class or something?"

Kristie nodded. "I was just about to go. I need to grab my tools first." She waved to her father and stepped outside the building. They were lucky to live just a short distance away from where her father worked as the City Architect. It was a perk of the job that he found out about after he was hired. Count Erlgadin, the one who hired him, insisted it was because they wanted the City Architect to live within the city he was to take care of. Baros' wife, however, had been wary of the offer. If it had been mentioned before the job was offered, she would have considered it a bribe and insisted Baros refuse the job. Over time, they found Count Erlgadin to be one of the few honest and generous noblemen in the city.

The City Architect job had once belonged to Edwin VanCleef, but due to the nobles denying payment to the Stonemason's Guild, VanCleef had left, taking many workers with him and formed the Defias Brotherhood. What started out as a large band of architects and tinkerers robbing wealthy travelers to make up for their loss of pay, quickly turned into a large brotherhood of bandits, mercenaries, and thieves looking for any opportunity to steal from the citizens of Stormwind, Elwynn Forest, and Westfall.

With the break up of the Stonemason's Guild, the city needed to form a new guild. Count Erlgadin, who had tried to support the Stonemason's Guild and get them their pay before they instigated a riot, asked Baros to step in as the city's lead architect. Before the Stormwind riot, Baros had tried to convince VanCleef that he was going about his protests the wrong way. But the man wouldn't listen. Because of ideological differences, Baros refused to join VanCleef and accepted the new job. When VanCleef found out about Baros' new position, he considered Alexston a traitor to his cause and had Alexston's family farm in Westfall burned down.

After he accepted the job, Baros immediately formed the Royal Stonecutters Union made up half of humans and half of dwarves from Ironforge. As many of the talented humans had left to join VanCleef, Baros had no choice but to accept help from their allies. Although, this was not a problem for anyone as the dwarves were very talented in this area and many learned from them, including Kristie.

Kristie entered her family's townhome and ascended the steps to the second floor where her bedroom was. It was a simple room without much decoration, other than a few sculptures she had made when she was younger. Her only window included a view of another building, but if she looked at just the right angle, she could see Stormwind Lake. But there was no time to view the lake today. She grabbed the leather pouch that held her tools and took off for her sculpting class.

**...**

"Here's every last gold coin, I owe you." A bag that clinked was set on the table.

Sea Wolf MacKinley glanced up at the brown-haired young man in front of him and gave a half smile. "Payment on time, as usual, I see." He picked up the bag and weighed it in his hand before putting it away in his hip pouch.

"Not gonna count it? It's all there."

"Nope. You're good. And should I find otherwise later," His half smile broke into a full grin now, "I know how to find you."

"I'll bet. Hopefully, I won't be needing your services anymore."

"That's what you said last time...and the time before that." MacKinley crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Why exactly do you come here anyhow? You have other options."

The man wearing a dark brown leather vest and legguards shrugged. "Maybe I just like the ambiance of this place." His hand waved towards the open door where the waters of Booty Bay could be seen. The smell of freshly caught fish wafted in through the door.

"Yeah, sure kid." If the man wanted to be ambiguous about his reasons for being here, it was not unlike many others who have taken up residence or business in the goblin-run town. MacKinley ran a hand through his long black hair as he watched the rogue leave. After a minute he shrugged his shoulders and went back to what he was doing.

After leaving MacKinley's small apartment/shop, Adam returned to The Salty Sailor Tavern where he often spent his time. It was here travelers or locals will usually come in search of the kind of help he could provide...for a price. After entering the inn, he had to stop due to one of the patrons arguing about the service and quality of the drinks. The man was what Adam would consider a typical spoiled rich son of a noble. He had well-groomed blonde hair and was well dressed. His burgundy tunic was made of mageweave, his black pants were made from suede. The typical disdainful look was apparent on his face.

"I refuse to pay for service _not_ rendered. When I order something to drink, I expect it to be in a clean glass! Not to mention the actual drink I wanted, not this dribble you call Junglevine Wine."

Adam exchanged a look with Innkeeper Skindle. Both of them were thinking the same thing. Where did this man think he was? Some fancy restaurant in Stormwind? The disgruntled customer turned to leave, bumping into Adam as he did so. Adam ignored the stranger's sneer and stepped up to the bar ordering a moonberry juice. A minute later, sipping his drink, he glanced towards the tavern's exit. The man was gone. Adam smiled and pulled out a somewhat heavy but ornate pouch of coins. "How much did he owe you, Skindle?"

The goblin named Skindle looked at the pouch then Adam. He grinned stating the amount and not asking where the pouch came from. He knew better.

Half an hour later, he gave a wave to Innkeeper Skindle and headed out of the tavern to a small boarding house a few buildings down. Although technically, the place was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Gant, it was only Mrs. Gant who ran the place. Mr. Gant was always off fishing somewhere. Adam gave her a nod as he started to pass her, but her hand, palm up in front of his face, stopped him. Adam flashed his most winsome smile. "Surely you trust me by now to pay my rent."

Her only response was to wave her fingers towards her palm to indicate she wanted the money now. Adam sighed and pulled out some coins and placed them in her palm. She stepped away, counting the coins. Adam couldn't help but grin as he moved over to the hammock he called home for now. Of the four hammocks in the back space of the building, he opted for the one closest to the back wall and on top of the other hammock, especially since no one else was sleeping below him. As a rogue, he wasn't comfortable having his back easily accessible for possible attacks. Lying down now, Adam sighed. He'd had a busy day helping a hunter and his sister and a good night's sleep sounded just about right.

He was about to drift off to sleep when his eyes suddenly popped open. Something wasn't right. Looking up at the ceiling above him, he saw a piece of paper wedged between two boards. He was sure that wasn't there this morning. Adam reached up and pulled the paper out. He opened it to find the words Scarlet Raven on it as well as a drawing of two circles. One circle had short straight lines around it, and the other circle was plain. With a little confusion, he turned the paper over to see another picture. This one was that of an open hand. Adam sat up. He knew that symbol. Just about every human rogue knew that symbol. The Stormwind Assassins Guild. Adam looked at the two circles again and understood what they meant. One was a sun. One was a moon. He was to meet a contact at the Scarlet Raven Tavern in Darkshire tomorrow night.

**...**

Baron Worthington turned his black stallion to the east road from Goldshire and continued on his journey to the Tower of Azora. Although he could easily have flown, he had just bought this beautiful equine and wanted to show it off. The trip would only take a few hours and the scenery was not unpleasant. The stone path was surrounded on each side by the thousands of beautiful trees that made up Elwynn Forest.

He said nothing to his escort traveling behind him. After all, he was only hired help. Although Bracen considered himself to be somewhat of an expert with a sword, he still felt the need to hire a bodyguard for the trip. The Defias Brotherhood had been disbanded, however, there were still thieves who lurked within the forest.

The continuous clip-clop sound of the horses hooves on the stone path had a sort of tranquilizing effect so he was slow to react when he suddenly heard his escorts mount speed up. He turned his head just in time to see the man take a swing at his head with the pommel of his sword. Bracen moved to avoid the blow. It still caught him, but it just didn't hit Bracen as hard as it had been intended. His stallion reared in sudden nervousness and Bracen had to fight to keep control of the animal.

"What are you doing! You're supposed to be protecting me!" He drew his sword as he felt blood start to drip from the cut on the side of his jaw. The escort said nothing as he once more came up to almost mechanically shove the baron off of his horse. This time Baron Worthington could not hold his animal under control and fight off his attacker. As much as he boasted to his skills as a fighter, he simply was not. He found himself on his back and on the ground, just barely able to hold onto his sword.

His 'escort' climbed off his horse and pointed his own sword towards the Baron, still saying nothing. His face was blank as though he wasn't quite aware of what he was doing. Bracen lifted his sword and tried to knock the other man's sword away as he also tried to stand up. The man merely moved forward, forcing Bracen to back up. Their swords clanged together over and over again as the man continued to force him back into the forest.

Then just as suddenly as he started, he stopped, lowering his sword to his side and just stood there. Baron Bracen Worthington felt a sharp object at his back and a gruff voice said, "Drop it!" He did as he was told, his sword making a dull thud in the grass.

The escort blinked and suddenly looked around as if he had no idea how he had gotten there. But that was all he did before he was quickly polymorphed into a chicken! Baron Worthington's eyes grew wide with astonishment as he looked around to see who had done that. A sharp jab in his back reminded him he had other things to worry about. "What do you want? Money? I don't carry much with me."

A female's laugh purred in his ear. "Oh my dear Baron, don't worry yourself over that. You'll soon give us all the gold we require, and quite willingly, I dare say."

He started to turn his head to see who had spoken, but the sharp object in his back quickly moved to his neck and he could see a black gloved hand holding a crooked dagger. Into his view, a shadowy goblin dressed in a simple grey robe approached. "This one will be perfect, my lady."

"Perfect? For what? What do you want with me?" His demands were left unanswered as the goblin spoke some words of a spell, and the baron suddenly found himself unable to control his own body. In fact, it almost felt as if his own mind had been pushed aside as another... no, not just another...the _goblin'_s will invaded and took control of him. As the goblin's mind invaded, Bracen's consciousness slowly faded, and his face became just as blank as the face of his escort had been.

When he became aware of himself once more, he found himself tied to a tilted plank of wood in what appeared to be a cave of some sort. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious, if that was what one could call it. The goblin was there along with a woman, he assumed the same one in the forest. She had shoulder length blonde hair and steel-grey eyes. The woman wore a black jumpsuit that was backless and had spaghetti straps holding the front up. The sides of the jumpsuit where the hips were revealed skin where the material split open and was held by three black straps. Her hands and forearms were covered by her long black gloves. She was a beautiful woman whom he might have taken a passing interest in, had it not been for her kidnapping him and all. Speaking of, "Where am I? Let me go!" He struggled with the ropes as if he really thought he could escape.

The woman in black smiled. "Where? Do you really think I'd be fool enough to tell you that? At least..." She slowly walked over to his side. One finger trailed up his arm, then tapped his head. "...not in your current...presence of mind."

Bracen glanced at her. Goosebumps raised in response to her touch. "What do you mean?" He struggled again to no avail. Various emotions crossed his features. Confusion, anger, fear, uncertainty. She turned to stand behind his table, putting her head next to his ear as she whispered to him.

"So many questions. Soon, my dear baron. Soon, those questions won't matter to you. Soon, the only question you'll ask is, 'What do you desire, my mistress?" She stepped away ignoring his protests and outrage. Instead she only gave the goblin a nod. "Please begin, Grixil." Bracen's cries of protests turned quickly into cries of pain. Marisa du'Paige smiled and almost reveled in the sound of the noble in pain.

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><p><em>*Author's Note:<em>  
><em>Most of the DefiasVancleef storyline is from Warcraft lore. I've merely told it from Baros Alexston's point of view with a couple of minor alterations for the purposes of my story._


	2. Chapter 2

The ride from Southern Stranglethorn Vale to Northern Stranglethorn Vale was surprisingly uneventful for Adam. He had risen early this morning in order to get to Darkshire by nightfall. The rogue gave his chestnut horse a pat. The stallion had been with him for many years and he wasn't about to leave him in the stables in order to take a faster gryphon. And if things went the way he thought they would, then there was a chance would not be returning to Booty Bay. Although the road in Stranglethorn Vale was the safest way to travel through the jungle, it wasn't always safe. There were the jungle trolls, panthers, tigers, raptors, gorillas, nagas, and the occasional horde traveler. Sometimes the other faction would leave the alliance travelers alone. Sometimes they would attack. Then, of course, there was that huge whirlpool that appeared after the shattering making traversing between the southern and northern jungles dangerous.

Adam had come across none of the usual troubles today and he smiled as he stopped at the Rebel Camp located between Stranglethorn and Duskwood. He bought some apples from the camp vendor and gave one to his horse. "Here ya go, Indy." The horse took the apple gratefully and Adam found a patch of grass to sit down and eat his own apple. The weather here was a little bit cooler than the humid warmth of the jungle and he enjoyed the reprieve as he pulled out a skin of water to wash the snack down. Adam glanced up at the sun. It should set in a couple of hours. That should be just enough time to get to Darkshire.

Once he was rested, he checked Indy's tackle and looked the horse over to make sure nothing was amiss before climbing into the saddle again. He turned east towards the bridge that led into Duskwood. As he entered, the sun disappeared behind the canopy of the trees and dark fog of the area. He traveled north until he hit a T in the road at which point he turned east, nodding to a few humans at a small camp just off the road. He listened to the sounds of the eerie forest and kept an eye on Indy. The horse had a natural uneasiness within this forest and with good reason. The forest was haunted by undead ghouls, ghosts, and skeletons. Wild worgen also roamed the woods. Just as in Stranglethorn, the safest place to travel was the road, but that didn't mean it was completely safe.

When the town of Darkshire finally came into view Adam began to relax, not realizing how tense he had been feeling. The town clock rang once to indicate the time. Adam glanced up to see it was now seven o'clock. His stomach rumbled and he briefly wondered if he had time to grab some dinner before whomever he was supposed to meet with showed up. He passed the town fountain and stopped in front of the Scarlet Raven Tavern. He dismounted and tied Indy's reigns to the hitching post before entering the building. The building was like most taverns and inns within the human kingdoms. A warm fire burned in a large fireplace. Tables and chairs were set up around the room for patrons. And a bar stood towards the back for those just looking for a drink or two. Adam sat down at one of the empty tables as one of the barmaids approached.

He ordered a basic meat and potatoes meal along with a mug of moonberry juice and glanced around at the patrons of the tavern. There were only three patrons in view. He had no idea who he was supposed to meet. All he knew was that he was supposed to come alone. If he was to be alone, then perhaps his contact would not be in the tavern as it's a somewhat public spot. Maybe his contact was waiting for him outside. But if that were so, he may have been stopped before entering the building...unless the contact hadn't arrived yet. He sighed. There was so much he didn't know about this venture.

His food was placed before him by the barmaid. He flashed a winsome smile at her which grew a bit bigger when he saw her blush before turning back to the kitchen. Adam ate his food while keeping an eye out for anyone trying to get his attention. By the time he finished his meal, he started to wonder if he had imagined finding the note. He reached into a pocket and touched the piece of paper to reassure himself as stood up and stretched his muscles. He paid for his meal and stepped outside, once more looking for his contact. One of the Night Watch on patrol passed him without a word.

After waiting around for half an hour or so, Adam decided he may as well check in to a room for the night and stepped back into the inn looking for the innkeeper. After prepaying his room, he followed Innkeeper Trelayne upstairs and into his small room. He looked around the room to check it out before exiting once more so that he could put Indy in the inn's stable. It didn't take long and went back to his room, pulling out the piece of paper to make sure he hadn't misunderstood the message.

A slight noise sounded behind him. Adam's dagger was out in a flash and he spun around to see someone barely noticeable in the shadows between the bed and wall. "Easy, Adam. I'm sure I was expected." The voice was feminine.

He kept his dagger out and moved so that he could see her better. It was better to be on the safe side. "Come out of the shadows." The figure moved forward and he saw a woman dressed all in black. She had short leather gloves, arm bands on her upper arms, a sleeveless tunic and leather legguards. Her short cropped hair matched her outfit. In fact, the only thing not black on her, besides her skin was her dazzling green eyes. He'd never seen such vivid green eyes. Adam looked her up and down appreciatively and slowly lowered his weapon, but did not sheath it. "If you're my contact, how did you contact me?"

She smiled and crossed her arms in front of her. "I left you a note." She then described the note exactly and watched as Adam finally sheathed his weapon. "You know who I represent?"

Adam nodded. "Stormwind Assassins." The guild was well known among rogues. It was initiated by Anduin Wrynn while he was acting king during his father's absence. There were times in which Stormwind needed certain 'problems' to go away quickly and quietly. The Stormwind Assassin's guild was formed with the king's quiet permission to take care of these inconveniences without having to answer to the city guard. They were a separate security measure answerable only to their leader, Mathias Shaw. Mathias Shaw answered only to the king. Many rogues wanted to join, but only those deemed worthy were initiated into the guild. "To get one of those notes means you're interested in recruiting me," he added.

She didn't confirm his assumption, neither did she deny it. "I'm sure you know about us and what we do for Stormwind." After his nod, she continued. "Here's some information you don't know then. We are very strict in who we allow in to our organization and how they conduct themselves. If a steady pay and the perks of stolen goods and a secret kill are not good enough for you, you will not make it in. If your conduct proves unworthy of the guild, there's a chance you will become a _target_ of the guild." She looked him in the eyes to make sure he understood exactly what she meant. He did.

"It's simple. Follow the rules, and follow your orders." She went on to describe how the Stormwind Assassins Guild was set up like the fingers of a hand. The thumb was those in charge and each finger represented each level of the organization , the lowest level being the fourth finger and so on. All initiates start out in the lowest level, no matter how skilled they are. The only one who ever had an entire list of who was in the guild was the king. Not even Mathias Shaw, who ran the organization, knew every single member. "Any questions?"

"Yeah. Why me? And how did you find me?" He leaned back against a table, crossing one ankle over the other.

"I first took notice of you in Westfall when you helped a couple of farmers find their stolen goods." She watched his face as he tried to recall ever noticing her. She would be surprised if he did for she hadn't revealed herself. "After that, I began to research just who you were. I needed background information."

At this news, Adam stiffened and eyed her cautiously. "And?"

She shrugged. "It took a bit of digging, but I found out what I needed to know." His face darkened as he stood straight again. She raised one eyebrow slightly. "I didn't talk to anyone."

Adam paused. He was about to leave and refuse to join until she said that. He glanced back at her.

"Your background merely confirmed to me your character, nothing else." A smile played at the corner of her mouth. "I followed you around for a bit and made my decision to offer you initiation into our guild after I watched you help a night elf escape an undesirable situation."

Adam seemed to relax again and even smiled at the memory. He briefly wondered what happened to her and her brother after he had left them, but quickly returned his attention to the present. "So now what?

"Now, I return to Stormwind and submit your name to my superior. Once he has it, you'll get your answer as to whether you are accepted or not. All you have to do now is say whether or not you accept our terms and offer."

"I do."

"Good. I'll meet you in Stormwind, then."

"Woah! Wait a minute. You never said anything about me going there."

She raised an eyebrow. "We're called the _Stormwind_ Assassins. Where else did you think you would be assigned at the beginning?"

Adam ran a hand down the back of his head and tugged at the small pony tail positioned near his neck. "I didn't think about that." He move forward, then turned back paced back the other way. He hadn't been to Stormwind since... He sighed. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

"I see." She stepped forward. "Perhaps I was wrong to give you this opportunity. Maybe you just like living by the scrape of your pants, constantly having to go to men like MacKinley for loans instead of working for a steady pay doing what you want." She ignored his glare and pointed a finger at his chest. "If you let your past affect important decisions like this, then maybe you're not worthy of this job in the first place."

Adam hated that she was right and pushed her finger away as he moved towards the door, his back stiff. He stopped at the door and stood there silently for a few minutes before turning his head. "Fine. I'll deal with it. Happy?"

"No."

Adam turned around with a growl. "What else to you want from me?"

"I want you to realize this isn't about just you. It's about you and whatever job you are assigned. It's about taking care of whatever is the greater good for the people of Stormwind, whether you like it or not. We all have our own risks in this. We aren't alone. We're a team. A family. If it ever came to it, I don't want to have you backing me up if you are not _fully_ committed to this job."

Adam remained silent as he considered her words. He had a feeling that this is something they would tell him in his basic training for the organization, but the way she spoke of it convinced him she wholeheartedly believed in this organization to take care of each other. He had to admit, it had it's appeal. His back lost it's stiffness. "I'll go to Stormwind. But, I must request that I not be assigned to a certain area."

"That's a reasonable request. I'll include it in my file." The female rogue reached into a pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "I figured you'd need a place to stay. There's a small residence I've used on occasion, but had to give up due to traveling so much of late." She handed the paper to him.

Adam took the paper and glanced at it and then back at her. "How much?"

She grinned. "You can afford it." She turned towards the window and opened it, sitting in the frame for a moment. "Oh, one more thing...don't be surprised if I show up on occasion. I still need a place to sleep when I'm in Stormwind." When she saw his grin she gave him a hard look. "Don't go getting any ideas, Adam. I can just as easily slit your throat as the next guy." The hard look then melted into a quirky smile as her eyes looked him up and down. "Then again..." She left it at that and disappeared out the window.

**...**

"Now, look at this here block o' stone." Kristie glanced from her dwarven teacher to the stone as instructed. "Every bit o' stone has it's weak spots and it's strong spots. Ye must study it t' find where to sculpt and where not to sculpt. If ye try t' fit yer sculpture within a block tha' has a weak spot where ye want to cut, then don' use it. Now, I want ye t' take this 'ere block home an' study it. At our next meeting, I want ye t' tell me jus' where the weak spots are..._if_ there are any."

Kristie's first glance at the small block of stone told her nothing. "What does a weak spot look like?"

Gemma Stoneshard smiled at her student. "That's what ye're t' discover. Let's see how well ye do on yer own, first." With that, the stonecutter dismissed her student. Kristie picked up the small block of stone as well as her tools and left the building located in the Dwarven District.

Up to this point, Gemma had just been giving Kristie the stone needed to practice her skills on. But now she's wanting her to learn how to choose the stone for herself. She took a left and followed the pathway between the buildings until she reached the short tunnel that lead to the canals. The Dwarven District was a respected part of the city, but she couldn't stand the heat generated by their forges, nor the smokey air that was a result of those forges. It was good to get out into the fresh air of the canals again.

"Kristie!"

She turned to her left to see Nelson Chantley approach. He was the son of Lord Trevor Chantley. They had met a few months ago during a meeting of the House of Nobles. Although the Alexstons were not nobility themselves, Baros Alexston's job often brought him in contact with the nobles to report on the progress of various works around Stormwind. She had accompanied her father to the meeting out of curiosity of what went on during the meetings.

Kristie gave the young noble a courtesy bow of her head in respect to his rank. "Sir Nelson. How are you today?" The young noble's son was, for the most part, self-centered and snobbish. But he also had his moments of being a perfect gentleman. Today seemed to be the more easy-going side of him.

"I'm doing well." He smiled and indicated for her to keep walking. "You are just coming from your sculpting class?" He moved easily next to her, adjusting his stride to match hers.

"I am." They crossed the bridge from the Dwarven District to the Cathedral District. "Gemma wants me to start learning more about choosing the best stone for the work needed."

"Mmm-hmm" he said as they turned left. "Father wants me to attend another meeting tonight," he said, changing the subject. Kristie was used to this with him. Nelson had a tendency to always bring the conversation around to what was on his mind and not really pay attention to what was on the mind of others around him. She just sighed inwardly and tolerated it for now.

"What is the meeting about tonight?" She shifted the stone block from one arm to the other as they reached the small dock by Stormwind Lake.

"Oh, one of the nobles is proposing something about holding on to some of the lumber from Eastvale for use at some future date."

Kristie stopped and looked at him. "Wait a minute. Lumber is in high demand right now for rebuilding the damaged sections of Stormwind. Why hold onto the lumber now, when we really need it?"

Nelson shrugged. "I'm sure he'll explain his reasons at the meeting." They turned to the left again and now entered the Cathedral District, stopping just outside of Kristie's home. "Listen, I have some free time tomorrow night and would like it if you could join me for dinner?"

"Oh! Ah, well...I...um..." Kristie was taken aback. She hadn't expected this and fumbled about for her own answer as she tried to figure out if it was a good idea to go out with him or not. Unable to come up with a reason to say no right now, she smiled and accepted. "That would be nice." They worked out the details and he gave the back of her hand a kiss before turning and striding off. Kristie blinked wondering if she made the right decision. She turned and entered her home.

Her father had actually come home for lunch today and she waved to her parents as they worked together fixing lunch. She set her things down to wash up for lunch. "Daddy? Did you know there was a meeting tonight?

"Hm? Meeting?" Kristie explained her discussion with Nelson about Eastvale Lumber Camp and the proposal to set aside lumber for later usage. Baros frowned. "No. I didn't know."

"But wouldn't that affect your own plans for rebuilding the towers and other jobs for keeping this city in good repair?" She finished washing up and sat down to eat the salad her father had placed in front of her.

"It could. Or it could not. It depends on how much output the camp has for wood as well as how much they plan to set aside."

Elenor Alexston sat next to her husband eating a small sandwich. "How was class today, Kristie?" She changed the subject before father and daughter got themselves worked up over this meeting.

Kristie shrugged. "I've got some challenging assignments again." She went into detail of her class as they ate. After lunch, she stood to wash the dishes and Baros left to return to work. Elenor came to help dry the dishes so she could spend some time with her daughter before she, too, went off to her volunteer time at the orphanage.

Kristie told her mother about Nelson's sudden invitation to dinner. Elenor remained silent as she listened and dried the dishes. "Kristie, honey. All I ask is that you be very careful. Very few nobles can be trusted."

The younger woman nodded. "I know that. I will be." She gave her mother a smile before getting her block of stone and retired to her room where she could study the stone. A couple of hours later, she thought she could see just where the best places were to cut the stone, and where it would be useless to try. At least, she hoped she was right. She'll find out tomorrow.

Kristie stepped outside her home and walked over to the orphanage, seeking out Amy Masters, her 'little sister'. She had volunteered to help the orphan, acting as a big sister to the girl for the past few months. Amy was sitting on her bed inside the building. The nine-year-old had dark brown hair and eyes. Her face had freckles all over her nose and cheeks. Kristie loved the freckles. Amy hated them. "Hi Amy. What are you doing sitting in here? It's a beautiful day out."

Amy shrugged. "I just finished my chores. I guess I just felt like sitting for a bit."

Kristie smiled and held out her hand. "I was thinking of taking a walk over to the stables in Old Town. Wanna come?"

Amy beamed and jumped off the bed, grabbing Kristie's hand. The two walked towards Old Town as they chatted about school, chores, and some of the other kids in the orphanage. "Bobby and Jerome are bugging me again."

Kristie glanced down at the little girl. "Again? Have you told Shellene yet?" When Amy shook her head, Kristie sighed. "I'm sorry, but if you don't tell her or Matron Nightengale soon, I will. It's not right for them to pick on you." Amy remained silent as they arrived at the stables. A palomino horse recognized them and came over, nudging their pockets for treats. Kristie laughed and pulled out some cut up apples she had stored in her pouch before leaving the house. She gave them to Amy who happily fed the horse.

**...**

Baros entered the Petitioners Chamber after telling the steward he wanted to speak with one of the nobles. At this point he didn't care who. After waiting for about half an hour, Lord Aron Boxley entered the chamber and headed over to him. "Mr. Alexston. What can the House of Nobles do for you today?"

The city architect gave the expected half bow of respect to the nobleman. "I have concerns about this meeting tonight."

Boxley raised an eyebrow and let out half a sigh. "Just how did you find out about this meeting?"

The question gave Baros pause. Was the meeting supposed to be secret? He didn't want to get Nelson Chantley into trouble. Nor did he really want to reveal his source of information for the time being, though he figured they could figure it out if they really wanted to. "Is the meeting secret?"

Lord Boxley looked down his nose at Alexston. "No, of course not. But it was not general public knowledge."

"Then it should not matter how I came to know about this meeting. That aside, I want to have my say in this."

Now Boxley gave him a disdainful look. "This is a matter for the House of Nobles. It does not concern the City Architect or the Royal Stonecutter's Guild."

"I beg to differ. Why set aside wood now if it is desperately needed for repairs to Stormwind not to mention the populace trying to rebuild their homes."

Apparently, Lord Boxley had had enough of this conversation. "We will take that into consideration, Mr. Alexston. Good day." He gave a sharp turn and exited the chamber. Baros watched him leave and gave a great sigh before heading for home.

When Boxley returned to the Patrician's Chambers he was approached by one of the nobles. "What did he want?"

"He has concerns for his little projects and of course thought we wouldn't take the peasants into consideration."

"Of course we are taking them into consideration. It's part of why we are setting the wood aside. So there is wood available in the future when it is truly needed. Come, let us start the meeting." As Lord Boxley headed to meet with the others, a calculating smile appeared on Baron Bracen Worthington's face.


	3. Chapter 3

Adam ducked and immediately kicked his leg out, making contact with his opponent. He rushed forward, not giving the man the chance to recover and knocked him to the ground. The two wrestled each other for a minute before the other man came out on top, pinning Adam's shoulders to the ground. Unfortunately for his opponent, the man was over-confident and lowered his head with a triumphant look. "I win!"

Adam grinned back at him. "I don't think so." Because the man had leaned in, Adam was able to lift his arms enough to box his ears and shove him off. Adam then stood up before the opponent had a chance to stand as well and kicked him. The opponent lay flat on his back, dazed. Now it was Adam's turn to get a triumphant look. He won the sparing match. His look of triumph was short-lived as a short sword suddenly appeared at his neck.

"You forgot to watch for unexpected attackers waiting in the shadows." The sword came down and Adam turned to see none other than Mathias Shaw standing there, sheathing his two swords. "I just got back from the Twilight Highlands only to find a rather...unusual request in one of the files handed to me." He looked Adam up and down. "Wash up and meet me in my office in fifteen minutes. We need to talk."

Adam went to the small privy within the SI:7 headquarters and used the basin to wash himself. SI:7 was another name for the Stormwind Assassin's Guild. The difference being, if a job from them was 'officially' sanctioned by the king, it was SI:7. If it was not, it was Stormwind Assassins. After he was sufficiently cleaned, he headed upstairs to where Shaw and Rinzik, his second-in-command, were talking. Rinzik was probably the only goblin officially associated with the Alliance. He waited just outside of hearing range, knowing not to approach until signaled to do so.

Finally, Shaw turned his head towards Adam and motioned for him to step forward. He picked up a file and looked it over for a few minutes before speaking to Adam. "You have an...interesting file, Adam." Adam didn't think a response was expected and remained silent. "We've had a number of interesting recruits. But what I'm concerned with is the request you put in before you were even accepted."

Adam glanced from Shaw to Rinzik and back to Shaw again as the guild leader closed the file and looked Adam in the eyes. "Do you think this organization inept and unintelligent?"

Adam blinked, a little surprised at the question. "No, sir."

"Then perhaps you think yourself more important than the others in this guild, perhaps even above them?"

Adam narrowed his eyes and frowned at the question. "No. I do not." Although he tried to keep some respect in his tone of voice, a bit of a growl came out as well.

"Then tell me why you put in this request to avoid certain areas, when we have access to your complete background and can come to our own conclusions on what is best for this organization and where to place it's members." Mathias Shaw's voice was hard as he spoke and Adam couldn't help but grimace. He had nothing but respect for the man.

He didn't answer at first, but Mathias stood there looking as though he expected an answer. "I was looking out for myself, sir. I...am not used to being part of a team. I will adjust."

Shaw continued looking at him, but the hard look to his eyes softened a little. "Perhaps you will." He set the file back down. "Joining a team after being on your own for so long will definitely need some adjustments. But don't lose yourself in the team either. Individuality is just as important."

"Yes, sir." Adam hesitated, then queried, "Sir? Does everyone in this guild know what is written in that file?" He pointed at the file sitting on the desk.

Shaw glanced at Rinzik and then at Adam. "No. Just your recruiter, your direct supervisor, Rinzik, and myself. Is that a problem?"

Adam shook his head. "I... prefer it that way." Being part of a guild didn't mean he had to give up his privacy.

"So do we, Adam. Dismissed."

Adam gave barely a hint of a smile before turning to leave for home.

**...**

Marisa du'Paige sat at the front of the building waiting for the representatives from the various bandit factions to arrive and find a place to settle in. Many were here only grudgingly. She could understand their feelings and reservations. After everyone had settled in she stood and walked among them. "I'm sure you're wondering why I've asked you all here."

"Yeah lady...show us the gold you promised." The voice came from somewhere in the crowd.

Marisa nodded to Grixil. He lifted the lid of a chest to show a number of coin bags with something inside them. "You'll get your reward once I've finished having my say." She could see the greed light up the faces of the many thieves and bandits. She even recognized some former Defias members in the crowd. Grixil shut the chest and locked it.

"If yer lookin' to rebuild the Brotherhood again, you can forget it! It's been done twice and both times has failed!"

Marisa turned to see who spoke this time. A human with short black hair and brown eyes so dark they looked almost black. He wore a red bandana marking him as a former Defias man. She approached his position and smiled as she recognized him. "That's just it, Markus. I have no desire to reform a broken organization." She let the murmurs die down before speaking again. She looked about the room. "My only interest is hiring your different teams for various missions." She then explained how the leader of each faction in Elwynn Forest will remain in charge of their own teams. However, for an extra bit of gold to themselves, they will claim loyalty to her. Once she saw them become a little more accepting of the offer, she began to tell them of her plan. Then after her plan succeeds, they can go about their merry way again. Or keep things as they are if they prefer.

One by one, as Grixil passed by holding a basket, each leader tossed in his or her personal marker coin as a sign of including their faction's loyalty to her.

**...**

Kristie wiped her forehead and paused in her sculpting. She pulled down the kerchief covering her face and picked up her glass of water to drink. The kerchief was there so that she wouldn't accidentally inhale the small dust particles that came while she used her hammer and chisel on the stone. She sat down and looked out the window, opening it to let in the cool breeze. Her mind absently went over the past week to her first date with Nelson. He had picked her up and they went to a small diner in the Trade District. She had requested it to be a place she would feel comfortable in, so it wasn't one of the fancy restaurants that could be found in the city.

They had chatted about various things, though oftentimes the conversation was more about Nelson than anything else. She had asked him about the Eastvale Logging Camp meeting, but oddly enough, he said very little on the subject and asked her about her sculpting class.

As usual, she allowed the change of subject and talked of how she was successful in Gemma's assignments. She pointed out a couple of scratches on her hands from a mistake she had made earlier and he took her hands in his rubbing them. Kristie wasn't sure how to react to this and was glad for the waiter's appearance with their meal. As they ate, Nelson casually glanced at her. "Have you tried different art styles?"

Kristie blinked as she tried to figure out what he meant. "Different?"

He nodded. "Like, painting. Or charcoal sketching. Something that isn't so hard on your hands."

Kristie glanced at her hands, seeing the scratches and callouses on them. She had never really thought about how they had looked before, but suddenly, she felt embarrassed about the callouses. For the first time, she wondered about her choice of vocation and the effects it had on her life.

At the end of the evening, they went for a walk out to the harbor and then he walked her home. At the door, he said, "I had a great time, Kristie." Before she could say anything, his hand lifted her chin and he gave her a quick kiss. "I'll be out of town for the next couple of days. But I'd like to do this again." She felt a bit flustered and in her confusion simply nodded her head. He smiled at her then turned and headed back to his own home.

Kristie snapped herself back to the present as she put the kerchief mask back over her nose and mouth and began to chisel again. Nelson had made good his promise and had taken her out on two more dates since then. Both occasions had the same effect on her. She could tell she had at least a friendly care for him, but was it more? Each time he had taken her out, he had kissed her. It was becoming easier to just accept the kiss, but something just didn't feel quite right about it. She felt that perhaps it was moving too fast.

**...**

Adam finished cleaning up the mess another one of his colleagues had made. That was pretty much what most of his jobs had been so far this week. Another team went in and did a job that was needed, and his team came in and cleaned up the mess to make the job as quiet and efficient as possible. Only once was his team called in to take care of a problem first. He returned to headquarters and gave his report before being dismissed. His day was pretty much done now...unless they needed him for something unexpected later.

Adam made his way through a new pub in the Dwarven District into what was called 'Cut-Throat Alley'. At the end of the alley, he entered a small townhome. There was a table and chairs on the lower floor, and a single bedroom upstairs. Maggie Strome, the rogue who had recruited him, was right that he could afford this. It was a rather nice place considering it's location. The rent went to the owners of the new pub he had entered to get here. It was due to it's out of the way location that the rent was low. That, plus the pay of his new job meant he was no longer wanting for money. If felt good.

After a quick wash, Adam stepped back out of his home and headed towards Stormwind Lake. This was new to the city since he had last been here. He could only assume that the night elf or worgen druids, for that matter, had something to do with bringing about the beauty of this area. He walked the perimeter of the lake, passing by some people fishing and one hunter taking a nap. The whole west side of the lake was bordered by the cemetery and Adam hesitated before entering. He glanced at various headstones and walked over to Queen Tiffen's marked tomb. With a sigh at the memory of the Stormwind riot that took her life, he turned and walked around many grave markers until he came to one particular one and he knelt down. After a few minutes of silence, he stood once more, a hard look on his face as memories flashed before his mind and his hands clinched.

"I'm going to tell Shellene if you don't stop!"

The young female voice caught his attention. Adam welcomed the distraction from his thoughts and he turned his head to see in the distance three children. Two boys and a little girl were standing near a wedding gazebo. Adam moved forward to see what was going on. He quickly noted there were no other adults around.

"If you do, you know what'll happen!" The taller boy had spoken. His blond hair was uncombed and his clothes had a ragged look to them.

"Go away, Bobby!" She was holding onto something tightly as she backed away from them.

Adam surmised quickly enough what was going on. Two bullies picking on someone smaller than they were. Wasn't that usually the case? Adam ghosted himself and pulled out a mask he used on occasion when working. He covered his lower face and sprinted towards a large tree that the children were headed towards, climbing it once he reached it.

"Don't tell _me_ to go away!" He raised his hands and the little girl let out a yelp as she was pushed down on the ground. The other boy reached for the toy she held, but stopped short when a masked man suddenly appeared before them, glaring angrily at them. He had a dagger in each hand and his voice was gravelly as he said, "Go ahead! I dare you to take it from her!" The two boys screamed and turned to run off as fast as they could. Amy could only stare up at him in fright.

**...**

_"I'm going to tell Shellene if you don't stop!"_

Kristie stopped what she was doing as she heard Amy's voice. She put her hammer down and leaned out the window to see Amy being pushed around by a couple of boys. Bobby and Jerome, she assumed. She was about to call out to them when she saw a man jump out of the large tree that was next to Stormwind Lake and stand practically over Amy. The two boys screamed and ran away as the man turned towards Amy. Kristie's face paled behind her kerchief as she saw the mask on the rogue. Without a second thought, she turned quickly and ran out of her house, turning towards the lake to help Amy.

**...**

Adam pulled the mask off, knowing it was scaring the little girl and then reached out a hand. "I'm not going to hurt you. I was just scaring off those two bullies." The girl let out a breath and lifted her hand to let him help her up. "I'm Adam. What's your name?"

"Amy."

Adam smiled. "Hi Amy. Nice to meet you." He held out his hand to let her shake it. "Now, what were those two after?" Amy didn't get a chance to respond as a voice interrupted them.

"Get away from her, Rogue!" A woman in a mask approached at a run. Adam barely had time to note she held something that looked like a weapon in her right hand and his instincts kicked in. As she got within reach, he grabbed the her hand and pulled her forward forcing her off balance and to her knees. The hand that held the weapon was twisted behind her back and he heard her cry out in surprise and pain.

"No! Leave Kristie alone!" The little girl was hitting him as he pulled the weapon out of the woman's hand. He let her go and backed off, looking at the odd-looking weapon.

"You attack me with this?"

"I wasn't attacking! I was just wanted you to stay away from Amy!" The woman was rubbing her arm and looking at the little girl. "Are you okay, Amy?"

The little girl nodded and moved next to the woman, giving her a hug. It began to dawn on Adam what had happened. The woman was just protecting the child she knew. She didn't realize that Adam was just doing the same thing...in his own style. He looked at her 'weapon'. "What is this? And why are you wearing a mask?"

Kristie stood up, ignoring his offered hand and dusting herself off. She pulled the kerchief down and glared at him. "It's called a chisel. And this kerchief is needed to keep me from breathing in the dust when I'm sculpting, not that it's any of your business!" She held out her hand and he returned the chisel to her. "What are you doing scaring these children to death!"

Adam began to get annoyed at her tone of voice. "I was just trying to help Amy here with a couple of bullies. One would think you'd be grateful for my help."

"Oh yeah, grateful. Right. Are you going to be there when they try it again? No. Because you don't have to live with them like she does. And knowing those boys, they _will_ try again! And she has to suffer for it!"

Adam glanced at Amy who was once more hugging her toy close to her. "Is this true?" He knelt down next to her and saw the girl nod her head. He glanced up at the woman...Kristie? Is that what Amy had called her?

Kristie was still feeling angry at this man. But she could also see that he was truly trying to help Amy. She still didn't like the way he did it, though. When he glanced at her, she noted his light brown eyes that matched his hair. Kristie glanced at Amy and saw a look of awe as she nodded her head at the man. For some reason, Kristie suddenly felt almost jealous. She knelt next to Amy, gently pulling her close and giving the man a confused look. He attacked and now he has a look of concern for the girl. Kristie was Amy's 'big sister'. She should have been there. Not this man who now wants to comfort the child. "She's not your concern. Thank you for helping but I'll take Amy home now."

Adam stood up, knowing he had been dismissed, but feeling unsettled in this situation. _Why_? He couldn't put a finger on it as he looked from one to the other. Then it dawned on him that the two didn't look alike. _Were_ they related? Were the boys siblings? The woman had said they lived with the girl. "Wait a minute. I'm still confused here. Are you two related?"

Kristie tried to ignore him, but Amy shook her head. "I'm an orphan. Kristie comes by and we get to do things together."

Ahh. Adam began to understand. The boys were orphans as well. Adam had to force back a smile as he thought things through and came to a decision. This Kristie person may not like it, but frankly, he didn't care. He leaned over placing his hands on his knees and looking Amy in the eyes. "Amy. I know how to get those boys to stop picking on you. Do you want me to show you how?"

Kristie shook her head immediately, knowing exactly what he was about to suggest. "No. I won't allow it."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "_You_ won't allow it? You're not her guardian."

"And neither are you! At least I have the right to be here and look after her. I've been doing it for the past several months with the orphanage Matron's blessing. _You_ don't have such permission."

"That's easy enough to get!"

Kristie looked him up and down and scoffed, her anger in full bloom, though she wasn't sure why. "Yeah, right! I doubt they'd let _you_ look after an orphan!"

Adam squared off, facing her, a hard look coming into his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean? Just because I'm a rogue doesn't mean I can't care for a child!"

Amy looked back and forth between the two, not understanding what was going on. She put her hands in each of theirs and tugged, reminding them she was still there, tears on the verge of falling. When they both looked down at her, she spoke softly. "Please don't argue."

Kristie knelt back down again and gave the girl a hug, immediately filled with guilt. They were supposed to be the adults, and here they were arguing right in front of her. Amy gave an uncertain smile and looked at Adam again. "Was what you wanted to show me something bad?"

Adam shook his head, eyeing Kristie almost daring her to disagree with him. But either she saw the wisdom of his thoughts, or she just didn't want to argue in front of the child any more. "No Amy. All I wanted to do, was teach you how to defend yourself. They can't pick on someone if that person knows how to fight."

Kristie couldn't help herself. She had to interject. "But fighting isn't always the answer. One should always try a more...diplomatic solution."

"True." Adam had to agree. "Fighting isn't always the answer. But it's a good thing to be able to defend oneself. And sometimes, diplomacy fails."

Kristie gave the man a somewhat surprised look but remained silent. She stood up and directed Amy towards the orphanage. "Let's go see what Shellene thinks."

An hour later, Kristie said goodbye to Amy, a little troubled over the change of events. She had thought she was doing the right thing in trying to guide Amy in a peaceful solution. But now...she wasn't so sure. Shellene had agreed with the man, whom she found out was named Adam. Amy was to start learning defensive moves only starting the next day. Kristie was still unsure. The man was still a stranger to Amy, yet the girl seemed to really look up to him. She could only assume it had to do with Adam's sudden appearance in rescuing the child from the two boys. Kristie still had her issues with the whole thing and made up a story about wanting to learn a few defensive moves as well. She didn't like lying, but she wanted to make sure Amy was okay.

"You don't trust me."

Kristie was startled as she turned the corner of the orphanage. Adam was leaning against the wall, one foot on the wall, his arms crossed. "No. Why should I?"

Adam pushed off from the wall and stepped closer to her. Kristie held her ground, looking at him somewhat defiantly. "Because I'm helping her."

"Why? You just barely met her. Why are you so intent on helping her like this?"

Adam shrugged as if it didn't matter, but then paused to think about it. "Honestly, I don't know. As soon as I saw her pushed to the ground by those boys, I felt the need to do something about it."

For some reason, Kristie couldn't understand him. She had been under the impression that rogues looked after themselves first, and others second. She moved on towards her home without another word. After reaching it, she realized that Adam was following behind her. She turned and looked at him. "What do you want?"

Adam studied her face for a minute before holding out his hand to her. "A truce. Like it or not, we will both be seeing each other. And I'd rather not get into another argument in front of her again."

Kristie hesitated, then took his warm hand and shook it. "Good day, Adam." She turned and went into her home.

**...**

Baros Alexston paced the Petitioner's Chambers once more. Earlier, he had been handed the most recent bill from the Eastvale Logging Camp and was shocked at how much they were now charging for the wood. Lord Boxley had promised him he would look after the people of Stormwind. But now, he had to wonder. Aron Boxley was a quiet man and hard to make out. All Baros knew about him was that he had lost a wife in the second war and that he had two sons. Only, one of the sons was killed in the Stormwind riot, while the other one had disappeared. Rumors went around of the younger son joining the Defias Brotherhood. But there was no proof either way. Right now, it didn't matter to Baros.

Boxley appeared and Baros let him have it. "You broke your promise! You said you'd look after the people! How can you be looking after the citizens of Stormwind when you are first taking away some of the wood needed to rebuild this city as as well as their homes? And to add insult to injury, you now raise the prices of the remaining wood? What I have to approve for the cost of rebuilding the statues and broken walls of this city will be coming out of the taxpayers coin purses. They will suffer double damage for this! It's highway robbery and I'm not going to stand for it! I've written a letter to King Varian about it!"

"Our good king is not here right now, Mr. Alexston. And we haven't denied the people access to the lumber they need. And of course, we had to raise the prices now that the lumber is at a premium. And it's only for a short term. Only until we have a satisfactory amount of wood stored away for emergency purposes, and then the prices will go down and full production of the lumber will continue." Lord Broxley looked annoyed at this intrusion of his time.

Baros glared at the nobleman. "When King Varian comes back, be sure he'll have my full report on this. He won't allow this to continue!"

"I'm sure he'll see our side of it and agree. Now, is that all?"

Baros continued his glare. "You've not heard the last of this." He then marched out of the chamber and out of the castle.

Lord Boxley returned to the Patrician's Chambers with a frown. He was greeted by Lord Chantley and Baron Worthington. "As predicted, our old friend was not happy about our decision."

Baron Worthington patted him on his shoulder. "It's a necessary step, my friend. The peasants will never understand what we nobles have to go through to ensure their security. But eventually, they'll see the truth."

Bracen Worthington stepped away and headed towards his mansion. Once home, he entered a private room and uncovered a scrying bowl. Soon, Marisa's face appeared and he bowed his head. "My Mistress. All goes according to plan here. I have sent the supplies to where you asked. You will soon have enough to complete your mission."

"Good. We'll start phase two of the plan soon." The image faded and Bracen covered it back up.


	4. Chapter 4

Baros Alexston finished writing his letter and sealed it with wax. He leaned back and considered his options for delivery of the letter. The last letter he had sent to the king had come back to him with a note that the king was not able to answer letters at this time and to direct any concerns to the House of Nobles. That certainly wasn't an option in his opinion. Baros decided to ask the help of one whom he knew would be able to get something done. Mathias Shaw.

The architect stood and walked to the door of City Hall, watching some children playing near the orphanage. He didn't want to deliver the letter himself. Although he doubted anyone would bother watching him, he still felt better if no one saw him talking to Mathias. A little girl approached City Hall and he recognized the orphan that Kristie had taken under her wing. He smiled at the child as she stopped in front of him. "Hello, Mr. Alexston. Is Kristie back yet?"

Baros had to stop and think for a moment. Ah, yes. Kristie was at her class. But was due to come home soon. He told the child this, then asked, "Are you two planning something today?"

Amy nodded. "She promised to take me to the stables in Old Town again before Adam shows up to give me my defense lesson."

"Hm? Defense lesson? Now why would you need that?" Although he asked the question, his mind was wandering to other subjects. The stables were near the SI:7 headquarters. It seemed like a perfect opportunity.

"He's showing me how to fend off bullies."

Bullies? Baros glanced at the child again. Now why would someone bully this adorable child? Baros shook his head, reaching into his pocket. "Amy. Could I ask a favor of you? I'll gladly give you a gold coin for it." Amy nodded her head and entered the City Hall. A few minutes later, she came out licking a lollipop and a letter well hidden inside a pocket.

Not long after, Kristie came home, setting her things on a table in her room. She washed herself up and quickly exited looking for Amy. The girl was sitting on the ramp to City Hall licking a lollipop. Kristie smiled. She knew her dad to give the orphan's candy from time to time. She approached the child. "Ready to go to the stables?"

Amy nodded and off they went. It didn't take too long to navigate to Old Town. Kristie gave Amy a carrot who eagerly fed a chestnut stallion. "He's beautiful! I don't remember seeing him the last time we were here."

Kristie smiled. "You should know by now that they get different horses all the time. It could be one they are selling or one being stabled here by a citizen or visitor." They finished feeding the equine and turned to go when Amy stopped.

"I almost forgot. I'll be right back." She turned and ran off before Kristie could say anything. She found the building Mr. Alexston had described easily enough and entered. There were some men in there she didn't like the look of. But the man she was supposed to give the letter to was supposed to be a friend. So she went up to one of them and asked him where she could find a Mr. Shaw. The man gave her an odd look and told her she had no business in this place and that she had better leave.

"Amy?"

The child turned around to see Adam standing there with a look of surprise on his face. She ran up to him, giving him a hug, oblivious to the amused looks of the other men and women in the room. "Hi Adam!" She then lowered her voice. "I'm supposed to be on a secret mission."

Adam ignored the looks of his fellow SI:7 associates and knelt down on one knee so he could be more eye level with Amy. He whispered appropriately, thinking the child was playing a game. "Oh? What's the mission?"

Amy tapped her pocket. "I'm supposed to give a letter to someone named Mr. Shaw. I'm not even supposed to let Kristie know. But he didn't say I couldn't tell you."

Adam kept himself from frowning. This was starting to sound like more than a game. Although he didn't see the letter in her pocket, he could see the bulge and hear the crinkle of the paper as she had tapped it. "Why don't you let me have it, and I'll see that Mr. Shaw gets it."

The orphan shook her head. "Mr. Alexston said to give it to Mr. Shaw. He gave me a whole gold coin to do it!" She pulled out the coin to show him. Adam pushed her hand closed around the coin.

"Don't go showing that to just anyone, Amy." He considered the situation and decided to take Amy to Shaw. "Come on. I think I know where this Mr. Shaw might be." He led her up the stairs and knocked on Shaw's door.

Amy rushed behind Adam when she saw a goblin open the door. Adam ignored her for now. "Ah, this little girl is looking for a Mr. Shaw." He didn't want to let her know that he worked here. "Does he have time for a guest?"

The goblin's black eyes glanced at the girl who was just about the same height he was. He stepped back and turned to Mathias. "Company, Shaw."

Mathias looked up, frowning at this unexpected intrusion. A hint of surprise came to his face for just a moment when he saw Adam standing outside his door. But Adam wasn't looking at him. He was looking at a little girl peering out from behind him.

Amy didn't like seeing all those sharp teeth on the goblin and sought safety behind Adam. When he encouraged her to come out, she finally looked into the room, seeing another man dressed in black and grey. He had reddish brown hair. His face had a mustache and goatee. He seemed a bit more approachable than the goblin who had retreated to the far side of the room, apparently aware of the effect he had on the girl. She hesitatingly approached the man in black. "Um, Mr. Shaw?"

Mathias stood up and came around his desk, sitting on the edge and giving the girl a smile to make her feel a little more at ease. "Yes. I'm Mathias Shaw. And you are...?"

"Amy Masters." She gave a curtsey. "Pleased to meet you." She remembered her manners.

Mathias raised an eyebrow and stood to give his return bow as was proper. "What can I do for you, young lady?"

Amy fiddled with her pocket and pulled out a sealed letter. "Mr. Alexston asked me to give this to you." She handed it to him.

Mathias' smile faded at the mention of Alexston. Opening the letter, he perused it and nodded his head. "Thank you very much, Miss Masters. I'll let Mr. Alexston know of my response soon." He bowed again and returned to his desk. Amy curtseyed again and turned, flashing a proud grin at Adam at the grown up task she had performed.

Adam smiled back at her and glanced at Shaw. He recognized the look Shaw was giving him and told Amy to wait just a moment outside the room. He entered and approached Shaw's desk. Mathias leaned back in his chair and asked, "How do you know this child?"

Adam gave a slight shrug of his shoulders to indicate he hadn't thought it a big deal. "She's an orphan I helped once. I'm teaching her how to defend herself against some bullies." He wondered what this was about.

"Do you know what is in this letter?"

"No, sir. I didn't even know she had come here. I happened to come across her downstairs."

"Thank you. We'll discuss this more later. Dismissed."

Adam turned to go before hearing Shaw speak again. "Oh and since you might already be in a good position already, expect a possible change of assignment."

Adam raised an eyebrow and now _really_ wondered about what was going on. He looked forward to learning exactly what this assignment entailed. He guided Amy down the stairs and out of the building where he saw Kristie asking around if anyone had seen Amy.

Amy ran up to her smiling. "Look who I found!"

Ignoring the comment, Kristie gave Amy a hug. "You scared me, running off like that! Where did you go?"

Adam answered for Amy. "She was looking for a privy. I helped her find one." He winked at Amy who grinned back, loving the opportunity to keep playing secret games.

Kristie stood up and sighed. It figures he would show up. "I suppose I must thank you again for helping her."

"Well, I've gotten far better thank you's than that, but I supposed that'll have to do." He gave her a grin and fell into step with them as they walked back through Old Town. Adam wasn't sure what to make of Kristie. The woman seemed bound and determined to dislike him, despite his attempts at friendship.

He knew that Kristie had only asked to be trained in defensive tactics because she wanted to make sure Amy was alright. It irked him a little that she didn't think he'd do what he thought was best for the girl. So, on the first day, he pulled her aside and told her in no uncertain terms that if she wanted to learn how to do some basic defensive movements then he would teach her. But if she didn't really _try_, he would ask her to step aside and just observe...or just leave. She had only responded by squaring her shoulders and saying that she was ready for whatever he threw at her. Adam couldn't help but smile at her determination.

Today's lesson was going to be given in the Stormwind outskirts by Wollerton Stead. It was quiet there and not many people go there so there wasn't the chance of accidentally hurting someone in the process of training. Adam had walked around quite a bit in order to find a nice secluded spot that wasn't a danger to themselves or others...not to mention not drawing undue attention to themselves. He guided them from Old town, across the bridge, through the Dwarven District, and past Olivia's Pond. Farmer Wollerton's farm was just on the other side of the pond. He kept walking until they were up a hill behind a barn.

Turning to Amy, he asked her, "Have you been practicing your dodging?" She nodded and demonstrated what she had practiced. Adam turned to Kristie. "And you?" Kristie only nodded her head. Adam wondered if she was telling the truth. To test her, he took a step closer and without warning, took a swing at her with he left hand, making sure to slow his shot so that he could pull his punch back if needed. He didn't need to. Kristie quickly dodged to the right, and immediately complained afterwards. His only reply was, "You never know when someone will attempt something."

He settled back into a spot and started his next lesson. He always started with Amy as that was who his main focus was. "Okay Amy, today we'll learn about different ways to hit someone-"

"You're supposed to teach her _defensive_ moves only. Hitting is not defensive!"

Adam closed his eyes and counted to five before opening them and looking at the woman. "Come here." He watched her hesitate, then step forward, her eyes locked with his. "Let's say someone surprised you, and was able to knock you down." He took a step back and motioned for her to pretend she had just been knocked down. She slowly knelt down, still watching him silently. "No. Down. On the ground...flat." She glared at him, then lay down on her back. He stood beside her and raised his arms as an attacker would. "Now, what are you going to do?"

She rolled over as he pretended to attack. He moved his foot and stopped her from rolling away and quickly knelt down, pinning her to the ground. Now she was unable to move with her arms trapped between his legs and underneath her. His point made, he stood up and offered a hand to help her up. She ignored it, standing up herself. "Now, as I was saying..." He gave Kristie a warning look not to interrupt him again before once more looking at Amy. "We'll learn about different ways to hit someone so that you can get away from them if dodging isn't an option."

"You could have just said that instead of-."

"And _you_ could have just listened instead of interrupting me." Adam's patience was wearing thin. A few sarcastic remarks came to mind, but he chose not to speak them in front of Amy.

"Now. When you find yourself unable to avoid someone, sometimes you'll need to strike in order to get away. There are a few vulnerable spots that will stun your attacker, or knock them off balance. That will give you time to get away." He knelt beside Amy and gave a chop to the back of her knees. He was gentle enough not to hurt her, but firm enough to force her knees to bend, knocking her off balance. His other arm came out to catch her before she fell backwards and then he righted her. "I won't demonstrate these next abilities, but I'll tell you about them." He went on to tell her and Kristie about the knees, stomach, neck, and groin. Then he assigned them to go over in their minds a couple of different scenarios and what they would do if they found themselves in that situation. After that, he ended the lessons for the day.

The three walked back to the Cathedral District. As Amy ran into the orphanage building, Kristie turned to go home, but a hand grasped her wrist and she stopped to look back at Adam. He was still looking towards the orphanage. "Do you know what happened to her parents?"

Kristie twisted her wrist free from his grasp and absentmindedly rubbed it. "Her mother died giving birth to her. Her dad died in Northrend. I don't know how."

"No other relatives?"

"None known of." With a sigh, she glanced at the orphanage, then at Adam. "I don't know why, but she adores you."

Adam turned to look at Kristie, a slight half-grin forming. "Why not? I'm the adorable type!"

Kristie rolled her eyes and turned to leave, but felt his hand grasp her wrist once more. She stopped and pulled her wrist away again, turning back to him. "Please stop that."

"Only if you stop running away from me when I'm trying to talk to you."

She had a sarcastic remark on the tip of her tongue, but with great will, held it back._ Just let him have his say and get it over with, then you can go home_, she thought to herself. Another sigh escaped before she asked, "What do you want?"

Adam's light brown eyes met her hazel ones. "Please stop thinking I'm going to hurt Amy. We're not enemies."

Kristie bit the inside of her lip as she considered his words. Deep down, she knew he wouldn't hurt her. But that wasn't really what was bothering her. "Adam. That's not it. I just don't want her to learn..." She felt self-conscious with what she was about to say because she knew she was generalizing and stereotyping him. But she didn't have to finish her sentence as he finished for her.

"...to learn my roguish ways? Is that what you think about me?" His voice had gotten a little darker and Kristie immediately felt contrite for her thoughts. "Maybe you should try getting to know someone before making such assumptions."

Kristie opened her mouth to apologize, but he had walked off.

**...**

Maggie Strome sat in one of the chairs in his townhome, her feet propped up on another chair. When Adam entered, she saw the stormy look in his eyes. "What's eating you?" She held back her amused smile at his surprised look.

"Nothing. In from the field?" He quickly changed the subject.

"More than that...I got promoted." She grinned fully now and picked up the mug from the table, taking a sip.

"Third finger?"

She nodded. "Got my first assignment, too." She watched him go to the small kitchen, pull out a jug of water, and pour some into his own mug. When he came back to sit at the table with her, she put her feet down and leaned on the table to face him. "I have a new assignment for you as well."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Apparently you're teaching some kid to fight?"

Adam nodded, not liking Maggie calling Amy 'some kid' but said nothing about it.

"Shaw thinks you're in a good position to relay messages to Baros Alexston. She's an orphan?"

Again, Adam nodded. "Well, Alexston works in the city hall behind the orphanage building. Since you've been seen around there helping the kid-"

"-Amy. Her name is Amy."

Maggie gave Adam a curious look, then corrected herself. "Ookaay. Amy then. Since you've been seen helping _Amy_, there wouldn't be any questions of why you're there should anyone see you."

Adam sat back. "Sounds good. Only...I'm not expected to use Amy for anything, I hope."

Maggie shook her head. "Shaw even said to keep her out of it. No reason to bring the- erm, Amy into it." Maggie stood up, tired of sitting for now. "Shaw asked me to convey another, unofficial, side job."

"What's that?" Adam took a sip of his water.

"He wants you to keep an occasional eye on Alexston and his family. He doesn't think there's any danger, but wants to stay on the safe side."

Adam looked curiously at her. "They tight?"

Maggie only shrugged. "Something in the past is all I know. Not best friends from what I heard, but close enough for him to spare some concern."

"Hm. How big is his family?"

"One wife, Elenor. And one daughter, Kristie."

Adam nearly spit out the water he was drinking. Kristie? Could it be the same? He had never asked her last name. Adam quickly thought over the information he had. Kristie lived near City Hall. Amy apparently knew Baros...probably through Kristie. He let out a small groan.

Maggie raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her. "Don't tell me. You've met one or the other?"

Adam nodded his head. "Kristie. She's sort of a big sister type to Amy. Prejudiced and stubborn. Thinks I'm going to teach Amy how to be a thief."

Maggie watched him for a moment. "Are you?" A smile played at the corner of her mouth as he glared at her. She only shrugged. "Hey. It has it's uses."

Adam sighed. "This just keeps getting more and more complicated." He shook his head and then changed the subject. "What's your assignment? That is, if you can tell me."

"I get to play dress up and walk among the nobles. My papers are being forged as we speak. Pretty soon, you'll be speaking to Lady Megg Straynor of Theramore."

"Oh yeah? Don't expect me to bow anytime soon, My Lady." Adam's good humor was slowly returning.

"Oh I'll have you bowing before you know it, peasant." Amusement made her green eyes all the brighter. Adam's own amusement shone from his eyes and Maggie approached, taking the chair next to his and leaning over to him. "I think I could get used to you."

Adam stared into her eyes and reached a hand up to move a strand of hair that had fallen in her eyes. He recognized the invitation, yet he hesitated. She was beautiful. But...He didn't get a chance to think anymore on it as Maggie leaned in further and kissed him. His arms wrapped around her automatically and he eased her onto his lap.

Maggie adjusted her position and pulled back from the kiss, looking at his face. She could sense his hesitation, along with his desire. "Hey. I'm not looking for a lifetime relationship here. You know how it goes." She put a hand on his chest and could feel his heart beat. She could also feel the tense muscles as he restrained himself.

"Yeah. I know."

It wasn't what he said, but more what he didn't say that made Maggie stand up. She noted how easily he let her go and studied his face as a realization came to her. "No. I don't think you do." She now almost smiled at him as he stood as well. "You should have been a paladin, not a rogue." She wasn't offended, and wasn't trying to offend him, though she could see irritation in his eyes.

"Tried it. You should know that."

"Yeah. But some of it got into you. I can see that honor streak."

Adam felt annoyed, but also relieved that she had backed off. "Maggie..."

She cut him off. "Don't bother with the platitudes. I was telling the truth before. I wasn't looking for anything permanent. I just figured you wouldn't be bad for a one night stand..or two." She grinned. "Tell you what. It's an open invitation. If you ever decide to give up that honor streak of yours, I'll have open arms." She gave him a quick, more chaste kiss and tapped his cheek with the palm of her hand. "Until such a miracle occurs, we'll just be friends, deal?"

Adam grinned. "Deal." He watched her move over to what looked like a bookshelf, but was really a wall bed. She pulled it down as he headed upstairs to his own room. Should she ever decide to settle down one day...He laughed to himself at the thought. She wasn't the type to settle down, at least, not yet.

**...**

Markus broke the surface of the water and took in a deep breath of air. A few more strokes and he was stepping onto the sand. A towel was thrown at him and he dried his face, followed by his bare chest and arms. The former Defias member didn't put his tunic on right away in secret hopes of perhaps impressing the woman on the beach with his musculature.

The woman looked him up and down and gave him a smile that increased his hopes, but she only asked, "Well?"

With an inward sigh, he grabbed his tunic and started to put it on as he gave his report. "It's still there mostly whole. There's some burnt bits up top that'll need replacing, but otherwise good shape."

"How long do you estimate for repairs?"

"If we have all of the supplies ready and begin working immediately, approximately two days."

Marisa's steel grey eyes practically glowed in the fading sunset. "Grixil, let the others know. Phase two starts at sunrise."


	5. Chapter 5

The last of the large band of bandits arrived on Yojamba Isle as the dark sky began to emit a slight reddish color, a precursor to the sun rising for the day. The small island once held a group of trolls. But they abandoned it soon after the shattering of Azeroth and the only thing to show they were there are an old fire pit and remnants of torn down buildings._ It's just as well_, Marisa thought. _One less problem to worry about_. Sloshing water could be heard nearby and she knew there were about fifteen men in the water, pushing something floating that was round and long and heavy. They stayed away from the shore. It'd be too dangerous there. One wave could push it onto the beach and possibly crush someone underneath it. Usually, she didn't care if someone died or not. Right now, she needed all the able bodies she could get.

Marisa glanced at Grixil who was using some sort of invention of his to communicate with another, smaller group on the other side of the mountain they faced. The shadow priest signaled that the second team were in place and ready to go. Marisa smiled and turned to look at the horizon. She didn't care if the sunrise was going to be beautiful or not. She only waited for the moment the sun will first show itself on the horizon. That would be the signal to start. This early in the morning will mean no workers and only some guards. Anyone in the tunnels will be taken care of by the second team.

The sun's first rays broke over the horizon and Marisa turned to her army. "Remember, kill those you need to, but I want prisoners! This is the first step in gaining what we've all wanted to see for a long time...the fall of Stormwind, and the fall of the House of Nobles!" She heard some murmurs of approval which would have been cheers had there not been a need for quiet. She then turned and entered the water. Grixil communicated to the second team to begin before putting his trinket into a water safe box and entering the water behind her.

The small army of men swam until they came to a pair of huge doors that were almost as tall as the mountain itself. At one particular point, Marisa and Markus led the way under the water to a small hole underneath the great doors. It was a long swim, but not so long that they couldn't swim down to it, through the hole, and up to the other side in one breath. They emerged in the darkened cavern and waited for everyone to pop up. They had pre-assigned positions based on Markus' previous observations on where the guards were.

Marisa gave the signal and the army came out of the water, and onto the land and docks near the large juggernaut. They were swift and silent for the most part. When a cry of alarm finally rang out, it was too late. Marisa's team had either killed or knocked out half the guard. They now greatly outnumbered any that were left. There were a few losses to her army, but she had expected that. In the end, it only took about half an hour to secure the cavern. Standing on top of the half burnt juggernaut, she signaled to Grixil to check in with the second team and sent another team up the corridors to meet them. She looked around at the prisoners still being brought before her. There were twelve guards left, and a few workers who had been caught camping on the shore. She knew the second team would bring more prisoners from the unfortunate transients who had made their home in the tunnels as well as whoever else tried to oppose them.

It took another twenty minutes to make sure the corridor's were secure. Grixil returned and gave the signal to open one of the massive doors. The fifteen men who had waited outside, now swam through the open door, dragging the large mast behind them. VanCleef's mistake was not getting the mast made before the adventurers came to defeat him. Marisa learned from his mistake. The mast was made elsewhere and brought in right away. Now all they needed to do was attach it and fix the parts that Vanessa had stupidly blown up in her attempts to attack more adventurers.

Marisa watched the prisoners being gathered on the deck of the juggernaut. She looked many of them in the eye, noting who was defiant, and who was more submissive. Her footsteps could be heard as she moved on the wooden deck. "Who is in charge here?"

There was silence until one man stood up, apparently the one who had been in charge of the guards as he had a uniform on. "I am."

Marisa had stopped by Markus and she now turned to him smiling as she pulled his sword out from it's sheath. She approached the man and used the sword to slash a cut across his cheek. "I'm sorry. I didn't hear you." Putting the tip of the sword at his abdomen, she asked him again, "_Who_ is in charge here?"

She watched the man's jaw twitch as he answered differently this time. "You are."

Marisa granted him a large smile. "Why thank you, Deary. I'm sure to use my new position of power to the utmost joy of my fellow bandits." She heard a few of her crew snicker and then she addressed the rest of the prisoners. "You have a choice. You work on this ship and help to get it in good working order within two days, and I'll let you live. Or, you can refuse and...well..." She let out a giggle. "Oh I'd prefer at least some of you to refuse. Oh, don't worry...I won't kill you...yet." She gave a small pout. "I do so want to have some fun first."

She turned back to Markus and gave his sword back to him. "Grixil here will direct the work on the ship. Markus will direct our men." She walked off a bit indicating for the two to follow her. Once out of ear shot of the prisoners, she looked at them both. "There will be others coming to investigate why the communication down here has stopped. Those men are to be killed or captured whatever the case may be. Even if word does get out, Westfall is in no position to do anything. And by the time Stormwind gets anyone down here, we'll have sailed out of here with our new ship."

"Who will captain the juggernaut?" Markus glanced out among the bandits. None of them actually had any sailing experience.

"Oh don't you worry, my dear Markus. I've got someone special already lined up for the job. He'll be arriving here tomorrow." She glanced at the bandits and prisoners. "And the day after that, if all goes well...phase three."

**...**

Nelson arrived at the expected time and knocked on the door to the Alexston home. Mrs. Alexston answered and showed him in, saying that Kristie would be down in a minute. He ignored the distrusting look she gave him and put on his best smile for the woman. Mr. Alexston didn't seem to be around at the moment, which suited Nelson just fine. Tonight he was taking Kristie for a walk and to check out a new pub on the canals beside the Dwarven District. It wasn't very far from her home and he had heard that it was becoming somewhat popular for various festivities.

He made small talk with Kristie's mother...what was her name again? Oh, he'll just call her Mrs. Alexston anyhow so it didn't matter. Nelson didn't have to wait long as Kristie came down the stairs in a simple tan dress with some brown embroidery on certain parts. It brought out the golden hue in her hazel eyes and Nelson smiled. If she looked this good in those simple frocks, he could just imagine how she'd look once she was really dressed up. Oh, he'd found a gem in Kristie. He was already picturing her on his arm at various nobles functions, looking the perfect counter to his own handsome looks.

Nelson offered her his arm and the two left the home. There was time yet, before heading to the pub, so he led her down to the harbor and talked about his day. His father was grooming him to be ready to take his spot when he passed away and Nelson was rather proud of that fact. A couple of times he asked her about her day and she replied something, but he was already thinking about a certain date he wanted to do in the future. The sun was starting to set as they turned to finally head over to the new pub called The Shady Lady.

When they arrived, they glanced in to see a few people inside and some rather unusual decorations. There was a stone crocolisk, and a huge stuffed bear, and beside that, a smaller statue of a falcon, perhaps made of bronze. The people who worked there also had a bit of a different style of dress than most others in Stormwind. The place immediately intrigued Kristie, but Nelson frowned, disliking the decor and people. "Perhaps we should go elsewhere, Kristie."

But Kristie was already stepping inside. Whether she heard him or not was questionable. He had no choice but to step in himself. He glanced around, but was unable to see anything more as he heard a voice behind him, "Sir Nelson? Your father requests your presence at the Patrician's Chambers immediately."

Nelson muttered a curse as a couple of people passed by him to enter the pub. "Can it wait at least until I escort Kristie home?"

The steward shook his head. "I was told to bring you immediately."

Nelson sighed. "Very well. But I know the way and I don't want to leave Kristie by herself." He backed up a step as another few customers entered the pub. The place was starting to get busy, it seemed. "You stay and escort her home, for me." At the stewards nod, Nelson turned to see Kristie studying a statue of some bird. The noise of the pub was such that he couldn't be heard by her if he used his regular voice. And he really didn't feel like yelling. Oh well, his steward will tell her. "She's over there by the bird statue," he told the steward and then left at a brisk walk towards Stormwind Keep.

The steward didn't hear Nelson. He merely glanced around the room, wondering which one of them was this...Krissy?

Kristie admired the workmanship on the small bronze statue and briefly wondered if she ought to try carving a likeness out of stone, perhaps alabaster. She moved on to see some wooden night elf carvings on the bar. The bartender came over and asked her, "Like them?" Kristie nodded her head. "They're for sale if you're interested."

Kristie shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm just admiring the work." She glanced around the room, suddenly remembering Nelson. Where was he? She moved around and noticed that the place had become much more crowded than a few minutes ago. Perhaps that was why she couldn't see Nelson. Kristie moved out of the way of a couple wanting to order a fizzy fruit wine and started to realize that the place was now too crowded for her tastes. She wanted to ask Nelson if they could leave. But she still couldn't find him. She saw an open door and decided to get some fresh air. Perhaps he had stepped outside as well.

When she was outside, she realized right away that it wasn't the front door she had exited. She was in an alley, and she wasn't alone. Some of the customers of the bar had spilled out into the alley, none of which seemed to pay any attention to her, until she accidentally backed into one of them. She turned around to apologize, but froze when instead of seeing a human there, a tall worgen stood glaring at her. Kristie couldn't help but stare, her mouth slightly open as though to scream, but she made no sound.

She tried to remind herself that there were Gilneans making their way here to Stormwind now that they are joining the alliance. The Gilneans were humans located in the northern area of the Eastern Kingdoms. Only, they had a terrible curse put on them that turned them into the fearful wolf men called worgen. Supposedly, they had gained control of this curse, but it was the first time she had actually seen one. And this one was not very happy with her. "What are you staring at?" he growled at her.

Kristie struggled to find her voice as she continued to stare. "N-nothing."

"Nothing? Are you calling me nothing? Because you _are_ staring right at me! ? Go on! Get a good look at the curse!" The worgen took a step in her direction and Kristie backed up again.

Kristie shook her head and could barely whisper, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..to.."

"Knock it off, Massen. It's obvious you just startled her."

Kristie recognized the voice and turned to see Adam standing in a relaxed posture a few feet away. She glanced at the worgen who was now glaring at the rogue. The two stared at each other for a what seemed an eternity before the worgen backed off, his ear twitching a little. With a low growl, he turned around and headed back to the other side of the alley. Kristie closed her eyes and exhaled a breath of relief. She lifted a hand to her brow, and realized it was shaking.

She felt an arm around her shoulders, and glanced up to see Adam beside her, guiding her further down the alley away from the pub. They came to a door and he opened it allowing for her to enter first. It was a simple room with a table and chairs. There was a bear rug on the floor and a few bookshelves. Adam moved away from her, stepping over to a small potbellied stove in the corner. He set a kettle on the already warm stove, then pulled out a chair for her to sit in. Kristie hesitated.

"I'm not going to bite." A grin crossed his face as his head nodded once towards the front door. "_He_ might."

Kristie couldn't help herself. She let out a small laugh and felt the tension in her melt away. She sat in the chair as Adam brought out a couple of cups and set them on the table. Kristie looked around. "Where are we?"

"My place." He turned and pulled out a small tin, a small pot, and a couple of spoons and placed them on the table.

"Oh." She wasn't sure why she felt surprised at how neat and organized the room was.

Adam turned one of the chairs around and sat down on it backwards, his arms leaning on the back of the chair as he looked at her. "Now tell me, what in the world possessed you to go into an alley and stare down a worgen?"

"I didn't do it on purpose," she snapped. Then she sighed. He _had_ helped her after all. She should be more polite at least. "I was with someone. We went to check out the new pub. It got crowded and I found myself in the alley." She glanced towards the door. "I didn't know there were worgen around here."

"Well now you know. The Shady Lady's owners are Gilneans. A few others live around here."

Kristie glanced at him suddenly as a thought came to her. "Are you a...?"

Adam shook his head. "No. But I don't have issues living around them. This is obviously your first time seeing a worgen."

Kristie nodded. "I should apologize. I'd never seen one and it took me by surprise."

"Well, I wouldn't recommend it right now." He stood up as the kettle began to whistle. Getting a cloth, he lifted the kettle and set it on the table. "Give him some time to calm down first. Here, have some tea. It'll settle your nerves."

Kristie opened the tin to find some tea leaves inside and she put some into her cup. Adam poured the hot water into both of their cups. They were silent for a long time, just sipping their tea. Kristie's mind wandered back to their last discussion and how badly it had ended. "Adam. I owe you an apology."

"Just a minute." Adam set his cup down and stood up for a moment so he could turn the chair around. Then he made a show of sitting down again and getting comfortable by stretching his legs in front of him with the ankles crossed. His hands moved and locked behind his head. "Okay. I'm ready."

Kristie looked at him at first in disbelief, then a small smile appeared. "I suppose I deserved that." Adam remained silent and she sighed. "I'm sorry for prejudging you. It's just that I've been a bit protective of Amy."

"A bit."

Kristie gave him a look. "It doesn't mean I should automatically trust you."

"Fair enough." He picked up his cup and took a sip. "So, ask me about myself." He smiled and she noticed for the first time a small dimple appear near his right cheek.

With a roll of her eyes, she tried to think of what to ask. After a minute, she decided to get down to the nitty gritty. "Okay. Have you ever stolen?"

"Yes."

She frowned. "See?"

"You don't know why."

"Okay. Why?"

Adam uncrossed his ankles and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "I only steal back what was taken from others."

Kristie had her doubts, but didn't speak them. "Do you lie?"

"When I need to, yes."

"How do I know you're not lying to me in this whole conversation?"

"You haven't asked me anything that I would _need_ to lie about. Of course, one doesn't have to be a rogue to be a liar, you know. And don't tell me you're worried about me teaching Amy how to lie. it's too late to for that. All orphans learn how to lie pretty quickly. All I can do is teach her when it it right to lie and when it is not."

Kristie sighed. As much as she didn't like to, she had to agree with what he said. She hesitated to ask the next question, unsure if she really wanted to know the answer. "Have you ever...killed anyone?"

Adam studied her face. "Killing happens everywhere, Kristie. Orcs, scourge, elementals, Twilight's Hammer, Defias... Why does it matter to you if I've participated in that or not?"

"That's...not what I meant."

Adam looked her in the eyes as he tried to determine if he should tell the truth or not. "The only time I take someone's life is if there is good reason."

Kristie stood up to leave and heard him stand as well. Knowing he would try to stop her, she hurried to the door. Unfortunately, he was faster and she felt herself being turned around and held firmly, but gently, against the door. She was forced to look at him as he spoke to her. "Life isn't black and white, Kristie. Sometimes undesirable things must happen. I'm not a mindless murderer. I have standards and morals I adhere to just like you. Only, I come from a different mindset. I'm not out to teach Amy my way of life. She has her own destiny, just as you do. I _help_ people, Kristie. Killing someone wouldn't be my first choice, but it is something I'm willing to do in order to protect myself or someone else."

Kristie could see the intensity in his eyes, hear the determination in his voice, feel the heat of his hands on her arms. She was in the home of an admitted thief and killer, and yet, she realized she didn't fear him. Oddly enough, for whatever reason, she even trusted him... to a point. He could have lied to her, but he didn't. There was something else about him that she couldn't quite pinpoint that gnawed at the back of her mind. She looked down and off to the side so she didn't have to keep looking into those brown eyes boring into her. "What does it matter to you what I think about you anyhow?"

Adam's hands slid loosely down to her elbows. "It shouldn't matter. But it does. And it matters to Amy."

Kristie had noticed the child's facial expressions every time Adam and she had gotten into a disagreement. It wasn't fair to Amy. Adam had called a truce from day one, and Kristie hadn't been true to the truce. She gave in. "You're right...about many points. But it doesn't mean I fully understand it." She looked at him again, noticing a small scar just above his left eyebrow. "I'll try to not let my own preconceived opinions get the better of me in the future. I promise." As a show of her promise, she held out her hand for him to shake.

Adam flashed a smile, taking her hand with a flourish and a bow. "I shall hold you to your promise, My Lady."

Kristie laughed, but the term reminded her of Nelson and her laugh cut short. "I should go. I don't know what happened to Nelson. He's not one to disappear like that." She paused, then said, "Thank you for the tea...and the help with the Gilnean."

"You're welcome." Adam's smile was warm and held no hint of judgement. "I'll walk you home if we can't find your escort." Adam opened the door for her and they left.

**...**

Nelson arrived at the Patrician's Chambers and saw that a meeting was in progress. He stepped over and stood next to his father as Lord Tony Romano was speaking.

"-requested our help with investigating the Deadmines issue as they are too short-handed and busy with rebuilding Sentinel Hill to be able to more appropriately deal with the situation."

Nelson glanced around the room. Most of the nobles were there. Lady Hoteshem was missing as usual. She was most likely out at Arathi Basin, fighting for it's resources. Baron Worthington stood off to the side with a lady Nelson hadn't seen before. She had short black hair and dark green eyes. Lord Boxley stood next to his own father, silent as usual.

"Isn't that more your area of expertise, Lord Tony?" The speaker was Lady Allison Tamore.

Romano glanced at her in annoyance. "There's been no contact with anyone from the Deadmines Expedition all day. While it's unusual, there could be any number of explanations. I plan to send a small team out to investigate tomorrow, but due to other duties, I cannot lead them. Lord Grayson, could you spare a paladin or two to accompany my team?"

Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker nodded his head. "I can do one better. I'll lead the team myself."

"Pardon my saying so, but are you sure this is the course to take?" Baron Worthington spoke up now. "From what you've said, someone in Westfall lost communication with some miners in what might possibly be a goldmine that may be all dried up. For all they know, the miners could have just had a small accident. Why waste taxpayers money with sending out a whole team to investigate?"

"I agree." Nelson's father spoke up in support of Worthington. "We've already raised the cost of the lumber from Eastvale. If the citizens hear of us using up their tax money by sending out more men than necessary, they'll have quite a bit of words to have with us."

"Are you suggesting we ignore the issue, Lord Trevor?" Grayson's eye's narrowed.

"Of course not! However, if you went with just one or two men, I'm sure that should be fine. Your paladin's can heal whomever might be injured if it _is_ the case of an accident. And if there is something else going on, you can send one of your men back for reinforcements."

A few murmurs around the the room had heads nodding in agreement to Chantly's suggestion. Grayson couldn't argue the idea. "Very well. I'll take one of my men and one of Romano's." He glanced at Tony who nodded his agreement.

Bracen Worthington stared at Trevor Chantly. The support was good. The solution was not. He didn't want anyone going to Westfall. The longer he can delay, the better. However, the business at hand was now finished. And the nobles spread out conversing amongst themselves.

Lord Trevor Chantly looked at his son. "You're late."

"Couldn't be helped, Father. I came as soon as the steward found me."

"You were out what that Alexston girl again, weren't you?"

Nelson stiffened slightly. "Yes."

Baron Worthington came over with the new lady. "Hello Lord Trevor, Nelson. Please allow me to introduce a guest from across the Great Sea. This is Lady Meg Straynor from Theramore. Lady Straynor, this is Lord Trevor Chantly and his son, Nelson Chantly."

Maggie played her role as a noble well as she glanced at the two Chantly's and smiled. "A pleasure."

Baron Worthington eyed Nelson as Trevor made polite conversation with the new arrival. When Nelson noticed the baron looking at him, the elder man motioned for him to step aside for a word. Nelson felt honored to be singled out by the higher ranking nobleman and moved over to him. "Good evening, Baron Worthington." He gave the proper bow.

"Good evening young Mr. Chantly. Please pardon my brashness, but as we approached, I overheard your father asking about a girl?"

Nelson nodded. "Yes. It's a girl I'm seeing. Father doesn't like that she is not of noble blood."

"I see. I assume she has a certain...beauty that attracts you to her, then?" Bracen gave a smile meant to encourage the young man.

"Oh, she has a remarkably simple beauty to her. I just know that when I get her dressed up in some nicer dresses and jewels, she will be simply radiant and outshine any of the nobles."

"Ah. I understand. Well, perhaps you can introduce her to me some day. I would like to meet this lady of interest."

Nelson grinned broadly. "Of course, sir."

The baron let out a calculated sigh, bringing the conversation around to what he really wanted to discuss. "You know, I often regret not having a son of my own to do things with. I wonder, would you do an old man a favor and visit me at my country estate the day after tomorrow? I wouldn't mind some company on my next hunt. That is, if you aren't too busy."

"No sir! I mean, I'm sure I can find the time if my company could help." Nelson wasn't very good at hiding his eagerness to be in the good graces of the more powerful nobleman.

"I thank you for your kindness." He glanced at the elder Chantly and the Lady Meg. "Perhaps we should return to the others." He led the way, a satisfied smile on his face.


	6. Chapter 6

A knock at the door the next morning woke Kristie. She and Adam hadn't been able to find Nelson, so as promised, Adam saw her home. But Kristie was a little worried about the noble. Where had he gone to? Kristie threw on a robe and headed to the top of the stairs where she could look down towards the door. Baros was already downstairs and talking to someone at the door. She couldn't hear all the words, but when her father closed the door again, she continued down the steps. "Who was that?" Movement behind her made her glance to see her mother walking behind her.

"Nelson." Baros had a frown on his face as he looked at her. "Apparently, he was checking to make sure you were alright." He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Apparently, he was called away to an emergency meeting last night and had asked his steward to walk you home. His steward apparently hadn't heard him or couldn't find you. And Nelson didn't find out about it until this morning."

"Oh. So that's what happened to him last night." She felt relieved that nothing was wrong, though she was curious about what the meeting was about that it had to take him away so quickly.

"Uh-huh. Care to tell me just where you disappeared to and how you got home then?"

"A...friend happened by and walked me home."

"What friend?"

"Adam. He's been teaching Amy how to defend herself against bullies."

Baros fell silent for a minute and looked at his wife. They exchanged a look but said nothing to Kristie. Unknown to their daughter, Adam had introduced himself to Baros and Elenor as a contact for Mathias. The architect wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Was it really coincidence he happened upon Kristie? He cleared his throat. "Well, anyways, Nelson said he will make up for last night by taking you out tonight and to not make plans for dinner."

Kristie nodded her head and returned upstairs to get dressed for the day.

**...**

"Open the door." Marisa stood in the small dinghy as huge ropes pulled at one of the oversized double doors. With a loud groan the door slowly opened just enough to allow another rowboat that was waiting outside to enter. There were three men in the rowboat, two were rowing, the third standing near the bow. Marisa smiled with familiarity at the man who was standing. "Captain Bandor. Welcome."

The captain gave her a slight smile and nod before looking up at the juggernaut and taking in it's size and armaments. "So this is the ship you want me and my crew to sail."

"Indeed. Come aboard and I'll give you the grand tour." The two stepped out of their respective boats onto a dock. Marisa led Quentin Bandor to the the ramp that led onto the huge ship. The prisoners were busy working to fix the ship with many bandits watching them to make sure they do the work right as well as to make sure they don't escape. She showed him around the five levels of the huge ship, pointing out the ammunition room already stocked full of cannonballs, gunpowder, and other weapons and supplies. She also showed him the brig where the prisoner's slept when not working. Finally, she brought him to the captain's quarters where they stopped to talk about the plan.

"Did you bring your lovely little trinkets?" She sat on a desk, watching him as he examined the room.

"I did." He pulled out a small simple box with some buttons on it. "Once placed, this will control them all." He handed it to her. "Who's going to place them?"

"Markus will take them to Morgaine the Sly near Mirror Lake. She'll have her team place them where they need to be." A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Marisa frowned as she called out, "Enter."

Grixil entered the room, barely giving a nod to the captain. "We just received a communication from Worthington. He couldn't prevent an investigation, but was able to limit the number. We should expect two paladins, and an SI:7 agent. One paladin will be Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker."

"You know what to do."

Grixil nodded his head. "Yes, Mistress." He turned and left.

**...**

"Morning, Gemma." Kristie entered her mentor's shop and set her things down, ready for the next lesson.

"What're ye doin' here?" Gemma's red hair was tied in it's usual two braids.

Kristie's smile froze as she quickly thought what day it was and what time it was. Yes, this is the normal time for her lesson. "My...lesson?"

"Och, I guess I fergot to tell ya last time. This be yer last class, dear. I've only one last assignment fer ya. I want ya t' carve something tha' tells me a story in one image." She set her hammer and chisel down and moved over to the window by the door. "It's up t' ye to decide on what stone t' use, what story t' tell, and what image t' carve." She patted a spot on the table by the window. "An' if ye pass, I'll put the piece right here to display an' sell...unless ye want t' keep it fer yerself."

Kristie's mind was whirling. She hadn't realized she was so close to finishing her schooling for her chosen profession. But the assignment is so vague. She had to really think about what to do. "When is it due?"

"When it's done. Now go. Shoo!" Gemma gave her a big smile before moving back to her own counter and picking up her hammer and chisel. Kristie didn't argue. She waved and left the shop trying to figure out what she wanted to do. She walked out of the Dwarven District and into the Cathedral Square, giving a quick bow to Lord Grayson as he and another paladin passed her.

He saw her and gave her a nod as he passed on his way to Old Town. Lord Grayson knew the Alexston's on sight due to their living next to the great cathedral. As they walked around the corner, Grayson continued his conversation with Bryan Morrison. "After we pick up Romano's man, we'll fly out to Sentinel Hill in Westfall, connect with Marshal Stoutmantle, and borrow some horses to ride out to Moonbrook."

"What are we expecting there?"

"Anything. Hopefully, nothing. Just be alert."

Lord Grayson was about to say something when he stopped, staring at a spot ahead of him.

"Sir?"

The senior paladin paused before replying. "I thought I saw someone..."

Bryan looked ahead but saw no one. "Who, sir?"

"Oh...someone I haven't heard from in a long time. Perhaps it was a trick of the eye." He moved forward again. "Let's continue."

Adam watched from the rooftop as the two paladins moved on. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. It was lucky he had recognized Grayson's voice just before he had turned the corner. Adam had ghosted himself immediately and moved towards the building to silently climb to the roof as Grayson appeared. Adam moved over the rooftops, still ghosted as memories emerged of times when Lord Grayson had tried to instruct him in the ways of the Light as a paladin. Needless to say, it didn't go very well. He clamped down on the memories and focused on his task at hand.

Once he reached City Hall, he jumped down to a window, picked the lock, and entered the empty room. Adam made his way around until he found Baros Alexston in the main room with a few others. Adam waited. When Baros finally made his way towards the privy, Adam whispered, "New information, Mr. Alexston."

Surprised to hear the bodiless voice, Baros glanced towards it once, then stopped himself and kept walking as he realized who the voice belonged to and comprehended the words. He continued to the privy and held the door open longer than would be necessary for one man. Once the door closed, Adam appeared. "Find something out about Eastvale?"

"Yes. One of our men checked out where the lumber is supposed to be stored. While there is some lumber in there, he calculated that there is not nearly as much as there should be. A good portion must have been redirected. Our scout is looking into it."

"I knew there was something odd about that whole mess." Baros scratched an itch under his chin as he regarded Adam. "Now I have a question for you."

Adam waited.

"Were you following my daughter last night?"

Adam blinked in surprise at the question. "No. Coincidence. She happened to be near where I live when I saw her. Why?"

"Just wondering if your duties include more than reporting information." Baros watched him steadily.

Adam looked right back at Baros for a full minute appreciating the man's sharp insight. "Shaw asked me to keep a casual eye on your family, Mr. Alexston. Nothing more. He didn't think there would be any danger." Baros only grunted in response. "If you don't mind my asking, what's the story between you and Shaw?"

"I mind. Now out. I came here for a reason."

Adam shrugged off his curiosity. "I'll stop by tomorrow as usual if there's anything you need me to relate to Shaw." He ghosted himself and left the privy. Opting to travel the rooftops again instead of accidentally running into anymore paladins, he moved from the City Hall to the residences next to it. He paused on one rooftop and then smiled as an idea came to him. Hanging down from the roof over one bay window, he peeked inside to see Kristie sitting there staring at a block of stone. He unlocked the window silently and opened it. Sitting on the bay window's seat, he unghosted himself and said, "It's called stone. An amazing thing used in building homes, cities, and statues."

Kristie snapped her head in his direction, a startled look on her face. "What are you doing there?"

Adam stood and looked around the room for the first time. It was simple, clean, and had various small statues all around. "I had business nearby. Thought I'd stop by and say hello." He flashed a smile and picked up a small statue of a kitten. "You make this?"

"Yes. You could have just knocked at the front door instead of scaring me to death!"

"But that wouldn't be very 'roguish' would it?" Amusement filled his eyes. "This is very good, Kristie." He set the statue down and looked at some of the others.

Kristie was about to make a snarky retort, but was stopped short at his complement on her work. "I- uh, thank you." She fell silent as she watched him look at each of the statues and carvings she had done and kept in her room until he came to the stone she had bought for her project.

"I like your work. How many have you sold?"

She was taken aback at his interest in her work. "Uh, none. I haven't tried to sell any yet."

Adam reached into his hip pouch and pulled out a small coin bag. He took out some gold coins and handed them to her. "Then let me be your first customer." He picked up the kitten statue and held it up, his eyes asking if that one was okay to buy.

Kristie wasn't sure why he was interested in her work. There had to be some underlying reason. "Look," she handed his gold back to him. "I don't know what you're playing at, but these aren't for sale. They're...personal."

"I'm not '_playing_' at anything, Kristie. I'm just being friendly. And someone's not keeping her promise." He set the kitten down and crossed his arms in front of his chest, putting a slight pout on his face.

Kristie remembered her promise from last night and had thought she was keeping it. But, according to him, she wasn't. She sighed. "Adam, I don't want to deal with this right now." She pointed at the stone on the table. "Gemma gave me my final assignment this morning." She repeated what her instructor had said to Adam. "I've been sitting here trying to come up with what to carve, but nothing is coming to mind that seems to fit."

Adam tilted his head. "What you need, My Lady, is some inspiration." He moved over to the window again. "Meet me at the well in the Trade District in twenty minutes." He stepped out of the window, hanging onto the roof edge. Before disappearing, he said, "If you don't show up, I'll come looking for you. So you might as well go." He winked and disappeared.

Kristie couldn't believe him. What would possess him in thinking that she would just follow him on a whim like that? She considered not going at all. But he obviously had expected that since he was going to come after her if she didn't show up. Kristie drummed her fingers on the table. A curiosity crept into her mind as she began to wonder what inspiration he had in mind. She growled in frustration with herself as she grabbed her cloak and headed out to meet him.

Adam was sitting on the edge of the well, talking to Emma who frequented the well. Kristie approached and greeted the older lady. Emma greeted her back and then took up her bucket saying she had to go and thanking Adam for his help drawing the water. Adam looked pleased when he saw Kristie. "Let's go." He adjusted a backpack he didn't have before and grabbed her wrist, tugging her in the direction of the gryphon nests. They made their way to the flight master and he paid the man for the rental of two gryphons.

"Adam...wait." When he looked at her she felt almost embarrassed as she said, "I've never been on a gryphon."

He looked surprised. "Never? Don't you travel places?"

She shook her head. "Not really. Just to Goldshire on horseback. And once to Ironforge, but I took the tram."

He smiled easily. "It's like riding a horse. The gryphons are smart. They'll know you're unaccustomed to riding and will compensate." He showed her how to direct the gryphon up and down and side to side. "Just follow me."

She climbed into the saddle and the gryphon took off. The feeling of flying was exhilarating...once she got over her nervousness. Adam was right. The gryphon had picked up on her inexperience and flew almost of it's own volition, but always staying near Adam and his gryphon. It also seemed to feel if she was off-balance because it compensated it's movements to keep her from falling off. This made her more at ease and soon began to just enjoy the ride.

Adam led her out over Elwynn Forest, staying close to the mountains. Below she could see Northshire Abbey. She loved the architecture of that large building and admired it as they circled it once before heading up a small waterfall and into a canyon set within the mountains behind the abbey. There was a small river and the place looked to be quite peaceful. They kept going until she heard a thunderous noise coming from ahead. As they turned a bend, she gasped at the sight of a huge waterfall emptying into a small lake. The setting was peaceful and electric at the same time. The two gryphon's set down on the bank of the lake opposite from the waterfalls. Here it wasn't so loud, but the sound of the water was a constant noise in the background.

Adam dismounted and helped Kristie off her gryphon. The two mounts took off to fly on their own, but stayed within sight, ready to come back when summoned. "Feeling inspired yet?"

Kristie nodded as she stared at the beautiful waterfall and serene lake. "How did you find this place?" She whispered, not wanting to disturb the serenity.

"I happened upon it long ago."

She pulled out her small sketchbook and charcoal pencil and sat herself down on the grass to begin sketching. Adam left her alone to create as he moved off to one side, pulling out some picnic items from his backpack. Once it was set out, he sat down and watched her. Her auburn hair hung to one side as she leaned over her sketchpad. He appreciated her natural beauty then let his gaze fall to the ground as his thoughts turned inwards.

"What are you thinking about?"

Adam glanced up to see she had closed her sketchbook and was looking at him. "Nothing worth repeating." He handed her a bread roll and pointed out the grapes he had picked out.

She took the roll and a couple of grapes. "Why not?"

His eyes bored into hers. "Maybe I'll tell you someday. Not now." He broke eye contact and stretched out his legs, leaning over onto his side and propping himself up with his elbow. "So what are you going to carve."

Kristie allowed the change of subject. "I have a few ideas." She opened her book and showed him one of her sketches. "What do you think of my art?"

He looked at it. It was a drawing of the waterfall. "It's nice. You have talent here, too."

Kristie didn't know why she blushed at the simple compliment. She tried to ignore it. "I'm thinking of maybe switching to drawing and painting."

Adam looked at her in confusion. "Why?"

"Nelson thinks it won't be so hard on my hands." She showed him some callouses on her hands.

Adam sat up and took her hands, lightly rubbing the callouses. "These are marks of your hard work in something you like to do. Don't let him convince you to do something you don't truly want to do. If you want to switch to drawing or painting because _you_ want to, then fine. But, don't do it for him. He shouldn't have even asked you to do that."

Kristie felt herself tense up when he took her hands. She locked her eyes on their hands as her mind took in what he had said. "I...like both." For some reason she couldn't speak above a whisper.

"Do you?" Adam lowered his head to gaze into her eyes. He wanted to know if she was telling the truth. But an impulse took over his original intent and he found himself leaning in further, pausing just long enough to let her refuse. She didn't back away so he continued and brushed his lips against hers. He let her hands go as one hand caressed her cheek. He kissed her again, this time pressing fully into the kiss, knowing he shouldn't.

Kristie felt herself lean into the kiss. Her heart beating harder in what she thought was surprise at the kiss. She felt her face flush at his simple caress. His kiss was electric, igniting every nerve. It was nothing like- Kristie gasped and pulled back. Nelson! "I'm sorry. I- I shouldn't have..." She stood up gathering her fallen sketchbook.

"Kristie-"

"No. I gotta go. I-" She was looking to the sky for the gryphons when his hands took hold of her shoulders forcing her to face him.

"It's my fault, Kristie. I shouldn't have done that. I knew you were dating someone else. Don't blame yourself." Adam cursed himself for giving in to the impulse. "It won't happen again. I promise."

"I need to go home, Adam. Please summon the gryphons." She kept herself stiff and refused to look him in the eyes.

Adam let her go and with regret on his face, whistled for the gryphons to come down.

**...**

Grayson, Bryan, and Andro made their way through the tunnels before the entrance to the Deadmines. From the report that Stoutmantle had given them, there were supposed to be some transients living in the tunnels. But there was no one when the trio had entered. Grayson pulled out his sword and shield and the other two prepared for trouble. After traversing the passageways, they finally came upon a guard, holding his leg which was in an unnatural position. "Help!" Grayson signaled for Bryan to attend him. Andro was ghosted and stayed back just a little bit.

Bryan knelt down and noted the man had an almost blank face. But his leg was definitely broken. He immediately began his prayer for the Light to heal his wounds, bowing his head as he did so. Grayson glanced around for any others, feeling that something wasn't quite right. As he did so, the injured guard raised his sword and with the hilt of the sword, knocked Bryan out. He then went limp.

"Bryan!" Lord Grayson had seen what was going to happen too late. Bryan was unconscious now. Grayson looked around for more trouble, because he knew they surely weren't out of it yet. They had walked right into a trap. "Go Andro! Get help!" He raised his sword and moved slowly forward, hoping the rogue heard him and obeyed.

**...**

Kristie picked up the dress the maid had brought and let out a slow whistle. "He wants me to wear this?" The maid nodded and told her that she was there to help her dress and will do her hair. Kristie really didn't feel like going out, and was going to send a message to Nelson to cancel their date. But then the maid arrived and Kristie felt it would be irresponsible of her to cancel now. With a sigh, she asked her mom for a healing drought for her headache and then set to work getting ready for the evening.

At five o'clock, Nelson showed up on her doorstep, dressed in one of his finest suits. Kristie had to admit he looked very handsome in his frockery. And from his lighted eyes, he obviously approved of how she looked. She had to admit the maid did a very nice job with her hair. It was pulled into an updo, with just a couple wisps of hair hanging down to frame her face. The dress was burgundy, highlighting the red in her hair. It was sleeveless with the fabric being twisted up and around her neck. It wasn't the usual style she wore, but Nelson seemed to really like it on her.

"You're beautiful." He held out his arm for her to take and escorted her out into Cathedral Square. They walked over to one of the city's finest restaurant's, The Harborview. It was situated above the walkway that led into the harbor from the canals between Cathedral Square and the now nonexistent park.

After sitting down, they enjoyed a nice meal and Kristie tried her best to remember all the small details of proper etiquette. Nelson then pulled something from his pocket. "Have you enjoyed yourself this evening, Kristie?"

She nodded. Her headache had faded and she had to admit that she really did like this pampering. He handed a small box to her and she opened it, losing her breath at the sight of the ring inside. She hadn't expected this, though she wondered if she should have. "Nelson..."

He took the ring out of the box and pushed it onto her left ring finger. "We'll have the wedding soon. I'll have some of the finest tailors make your dress. You'll be a wonderful bride. I can't wait to walk arm in arm showing off your beauty, Kristie."

Kristie felt something tighten in her throat and chest. Something felt...not right about this. "Nelson. I- I haven't even given you my answer." _Technically_, she thought, _he hadn't even officially asked the question either_.

He smiled, undaunted. "Well, of course I know what the answer is, but if you insist, you can vocally accept."

She had no idea how to start or fully express her feelings. Until this afternoon, she may have just accepted his offer. But two things kept going through her head right now. The first was something Adam had said. _'Don't let him convince you to do something you don't truly want to do.' _And the second was something that Adam had done. Her face flushed at the memory of the kiss and she tried to shove it out of her mind. "I...need to think about it."

Nelson froze, his face held an awkward smile. "You...have quite the sense of humor. Surely, you can't be serious." He spoke almost through his teeth as he held onto that frozen smile.

"I-" She wasn't sure how to express her doubts about their relationship. She wasn't sure just why she had the doubts. Perhaps it was what Adam had said. _Perhaps it was Adam_. She pushed that last thought away as she swallowed. "I just feel...well...unsure about-" She sighed. Why can't she just iterate what she was thinking?

"Kristie," his voice began to get a soft edge to it. "Don't tell me you've been leading me on...teasing me only to shoot me down when you know how I feel."

She immediately felt contrite. "No, Nelson. I wasn't leading you on. I do care. It's just that..." She grasped onto a thought that might help. "...I think it's just moving a little fast. I mean, I've gone to some functions with you and done many things _you_ wanted to do. But have you taken an interest in things I like and want?"

Nelson couldn't understand why she was suddenly acting so...independent. But he knew he had to do something or else he was going to lose his prize. "Very well. Let's go do something you want tomorrow morning." He saw her bite her lower lip.

"Tomorrow morning, I had promised Amy to take her horseback riding."

He cringed inwardly. That orphan again. Well, once they were married, he'll take Kristie to so many functions she'll soon forget that dirty little whelp. But, for now, he had to play along with her little game. That's what it must be. One of those games women play to seem hard to get when they really want to marry. After all, he was handsome, rich, and will eventually inherit his father's lands and position in the House of Nobles. And she was a middle class commoner. She couldn't hope for a better match.

"That sound perfect! I'll go riding with you two tomorrow morning." As he said this, another thought began running through his mind. He could lead them to Baron Bracen's country estate. It wasn't too far from Stormwind. And then she'll be doubly impressed!

**...**

Maggie entered Baron Bracen's dining room and allowed the butler to pull out her chair for her before sitting down next to the baron. "Good evening, Baron." She flashed a courteous smile and saw his in return. She felt fortunate that he had offered to let her stay as his guest in his city house. He was one of the nobles she was supposed to keep an eye on and investigate. The others were Lord Trevor Chantly, and Lord Aron Boxley. Of course, she was supposed to pay attention to the other nobles as well, but those three were the subjects of interest.

Baron Bracen accepted a message from Darcon, his butler, and read it before indicating for the man to pour the wine for tonight's dinner. He looked at his guest with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Tell me, Lady Straynor. Have you been to the Barrens? I hear the Alliance is doing quite well in taking over that territory."

Maggie quickly flipped through her mind what her persona was supposed to have done or not done. There was no mention of the Barrens so she opted for the safer answer. "No. I'm afraid I had no inclination to go to such a place."

Bracen lifted his wine glass and held it. "I can understand your reservations. Such a dry dreadful place. Perhaps you had the chance to visit the Cape of Stranglethorn Vale? Or Tanaris before coming here? I hear the Steamwheedle goblins can have quite the interesting towns."

Maggie began to wonder if this line of conversation was supposed to lead anywhere. "I'm sorry. I came straight from Theramore to Menethil Harbor. From there I went to Ironforge and finally here."

"Well, you're missing on some interesting travels then. I might recommend them. Here's to future travel, then." He raised his silver goblet and watched her raise her own to him. Bracen put the goblet to his mouth and let the liquid enter, but then spit it back out before lowering the goblet. It was precisely for this reason that he had chosen these goblets, so that she would think he had drunk the wine.

His warm smile changed into a more calculating smile and a light seemed to shine in his eyes as he watched her swallow the wine. "But, I dare say, you will not get the chance to travel anytime soon, my dear."

Maggie changed her pleasant look to one of amused confusion. "Whatever to you mean, Bracen?"

The baron leaned forward and tapped her hand, seemingly ignoring her question. "Your skin is lovely. I wonder how it became so tan while in Theramore? I hear the sun rarely shines there."

Maggie's senses whirled. She knew in an instant she messed up. Not only because he caught an inconsistancy, but also because she could feel a fog enter her head. Her motions felt slowed. She stood up. "I...just...naturally..." She felt dizzy and lost control of her limbs, falling as he caught her. His face had lost his smile. But that was all she noticed before the world turned black.

Baron Bracen easily picked her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to her guest room, laying her down on the bed. His eyes roamed her body and he took hold of the skirt portion of her dress, pulling it up just enough to reveal the dagger she had strapped to the inside of her thigh. He removed it and quickly searched for other weapons. Finding none, he returned his attention to her face. "I don't know who you are, Miss Straynor, if that is your real name. But my friends will soon find out. You may be of use to us. And if you work for who I think you work for, then you'll make a fine double agent."

He turned and left the room, assigning one of his personal guards to tie her up and make sure she didn't wake up.


	7. Chapter 7

"Does he hafta come?" Amy gave a sidelong glance at Nelson as she whispered to Kristie.

"I'm afraid so, Kiddo. He wanted a chance to get to know you." Well, it was only a slight fib. Still, Kristie didn't like the situation much better than Amy. But Nelson was trying, at least. Kristie had planned on renting a couple of horses from the stables in Old Town, and thus let Amy pick out her favorite horse. Instead, the young noble had brought his own horse as well as one for Kristie and Amy. The one he expected Amy to ride was beautiful, but also headstrong and stubborn.

After watching the child try to guide the animal, Kristie shook her head. "I'm sorry, Nelson. That horse is just not the right one for Amy's level of riding skill." She insisted they get a horse from the Old Town Stables where she knew there were gentle horses that were more along the lines of Amy's riding skills. Amy wanted the chestnut horse, but Katie Stokx, the one who rents and sells horses, told her it belonged to someone else. So Amy chose the palomino instead.

The trio rode their horses from Old Town to the Trade District and through the Valley of Heroes. Kristie glanced towards where the statue of Trollbane still lay on the ramp and gave a sigh. She reminded herself that they will get it back up eventually. Once out of the city, they paused to let Amy look around. She was grinning broadly at the whole adventure. "How long will it take to reach Goldshire?"

"Not too long. At a walk, probably twenty minutes."

Nelson interjected, "If you want to gallop or run the horses, we can go beyond Goldshire. I know a place we can stop by for a rest before returning."

Kristie eyed the man. She had only planned on going as far as Goldshire. The road between the town and Stormwind was relatively safe with guards patrolling the area. Going further risked running into bandits that lurked within the forest. She was about to decline the suggestion when Amy spoke up. "Oh! I'd love to go faster! Can we, please?" Amy had such an eager look, Kristie gave in and nodded her head.

The trio walked the horses to Goldshire, then Nelson took the lead and headed west, letting the horses gallop, then trot, then a full run for just a minute until it looked like Amy may fall off her horse. The child wasn't used to riding the beast at such a fast pace. Nelson slowed and turned his horse onto a small path that lead deeper into the forest. Kristie hesitated. "You didn't say it was in the forest."

Nelson turned his horse around and rode back to her. "Don't worry. It's safe. And even if there is trouble, I'll protect you." He grinned confidently. For some reason Kristie didn't feel reassured. Still, Nelson seemed to know where he was going and he _has _had more experience outside of Stormwind. With a nervous sigh, she urged her horse forward, glancing at Amy. The child was looking around at all the trees and some birds flitting about. Well, at least she's enjoying her ride.

They followed the path until they came upon an open gate that led into a large estate. Green grass and fewer trees marked the yard and a huge mansion stood at the back surrounded on three sides by a mountain. If it wasn't for the tranquil scene, she'd almost wonder if it were a fortress instead of someone's country estate. When Nelson began to ride through the gate, Kristie hesitated. "Nelson, you didn't say we were visiting someone. I don't think it's good for us to come unexpected."

Nelson turned his head as he stopped his horse. "Oh, I'm expected. Baron Worthington asked me to stop by today."

"So this whole ride out here was preplanned?"

Nelson sighed. "Look. Believe it or not, I did have other plans. I chose to forego them in order to spend time doing something _you _wanted. Can you blame me if I wanted to mix your outing with my plans? I thought it would be a great opportunity for you and Amy here to meet the baron. An opportunity which will probably be only once in a lifetime for Amy, and hopefully a first among many for you."

Something he said bothered her. But what exactly? Kristie ran over the conversation again in her mind. _...once in a lifetime for Amy..._ She hadn't thought about Amy in this mix up of Nelson's proposal. Did he expect her not to visit Amy anymore? She set that thought aside for further consideration later as she recalled what else he had said. If it was true that he had set aside plans, then she really ought to feel contrite. However, she didn't. Still, they were there. They might as well finish up with what he wanted to do and then leave. After they get back and return Amy to the orphanage, she decided she would have a serious talk with Nelson. Kristie glanced at the ring still on her finger. She had put it on this morning only because she knew he expected to see it there and she didn't want to cause any arguments in front of Amy. She won't be wearing it for long anyhow.

They made their way through the property towards the mansion in the back. Kristie could appreciate the architecture of the building, but decided it could still use some improvements in design. Amy rode next to her with a frown. "I don't want to go here. It's...scary." Her voice was low so that only Kristie could hear her.

The older woman nodded her head. She could see how Amy would think that. "I'll try to make it as short a visit as possible for us, Amy." Once they reached the building, they dismounted and knocked on the front door. The butler answered and ushered them into a waiting room. A short time later, Baron Bracen Worthington appeared. He didn't seem happy about something and Kristie wished she could leave right then.

"Good morning, Nelson." Baron glanced at the two females with the young noble. He hadn't expected Nelson to bring company. "And who is this?" He plastered on a smile as Nelson introduced them as Kristie Alexston and an orphan named Amy Masters. When he shook the woman's hand, he noticed a ring on the left hand and recalled Nelson's interest in a young woman. Hm, perhaps she could be of use after all. The orphan was of no use whatsoever, except perhaps as a new scullery maid. "Welcome to my home. Come, I have morning tea prepared in the dining hall." He led them to the room and presented the tea set with some small cakes and other food.

Kristie kept Amy close to her as they entered the dining hall. Amy wasn't very happy about being here, but when she saw the food, her eyes lit up. She was hungry after the ride and the delicacies on the table looked very tasty. They sat down as the Baron rang for his butler to serve them. Kristie glanced at Nelson who was positively beaming with pride and looking at Kristie, obviously expecting her to feel the same as he did. A polite smile was all she could muster. "So, Miss Alexston, Nelson has told me a little about you. You are the daughter of our City Architect?"

Kristie nodded, trying to eat small bites of the food. She wasn't really hungry. Amy, on the other hand was quite hungry and Kristie had to quietly remind her of her table manners.

"Good, good. He told me you were pretty. I can see he was correct."

She didn't know what to say to this, so she remained quiet. Kristie glanced at Nelson again who looked all the prouder. It occurred to her then that Nelson often only talked about her looks. Was that all she was to him? Something pretty to hang on his arm? It was a troubling thought. She _really_ wanted to go home now. Kristie put her hand went to her temple as it began to throb. "I'm sorry. I've got a sudden headache. I'd like to go home now, Nelson."

Nelson didn't look happy about this. "Perhaps the headache will go away. You've gotten too much sun, Kristie."

"Oh don't worry, Nelson. I have some healing droughts. Your fiancé will not be going anywhere, soon. Darcon?" The butler had been standing near a door ready to serve when summoned. "Please get Miss Alexston a healing drought and prepare some rooms for our guests. They will be staying awhile."

Kristie wanted to tell him that she wasn't Nelson's fiancé when alarms went off in her mind. Something just didn't feel right about this. All she could think about was getting out of there with Amy. "Oh, please, you don't have to go through all that trouble. I just need to go home. Besides, my parents are expecting me home soon to help with a- a project." She wasn't used to lying. Kristie stood up, gently pulling Amy up as well. She watched Baron Worthington smile, but his eyes...his eyes were suddenly cold, and calculating.

"Your parents will be informed of...your situation soon enough. I'm afraid, I must insist."

"And I'm afraid I must refuse. I'm sorry Baron Worthington." She glanced at Nelson's confused face. "Let's go, Nelson." Kristie led Amy to the door of the dining hall and opened it only to find a female rogue standing there with a red bandana. Kristie stopped short and gasped. _Defias!_ She backed up all the way back to the table as she finally heard Nelson stand up.

"What's going on here, Baron?" He was starting to clue in that something was wrong.

Ignoring his question for now, Bracen stood up slowly. "As I said, Miss Alexston, I insist on your staying...as my _permanent _guests."

"And I insist on demanding what the meaning of this is!" Nelson finally moved from the table to where Kristie and Amy stood. The rogue at the door had entered and slowly approached the trio.

"You're in no position to demand anything, boy!" The baron glared at him, showing what he truly thought of him. "You're nothing more than a tool for my mistress to work with."

Nelson had enough. He drew his sword, keeping an eye on the baron and the rogue. "I'm nobody's tool! Let's go, Kristie."

Kristie grabbed firm hold of Amy's arm, keeping the orphan next to her as she watched the rogue and tried to edge around her. The rogue's eyes almost laughed at her as she sidestepped to match Kristie's movements. More footsteps were heard as two of Worthington's personal guards entered through the kitchen.

"Don't be a fool, Nelson. You can't escape."

Nelson moved over to Kristie's side again and tried to judge the best route to go. They had the table and wall behind them with four armed people to the front and side. No, wait. The baron himself wasn't armed. Nelson narrowed his eyes and under his breath told Kristie and Amy to follow him. The young noble made a dash towards the baron himself, intending to bash through him and push him into his two guards. This would create an opening for the three of them to escape to the door. Unfortunately, the baron easily saw what he planned and at the last minute stepped to the side. Nelson's charge took him half way across the room before he could stop himself. Turning around, he now saw that he had only succeeded in separating himself from Kristie and Amy.

For their part, Kristie and Amy had tried to follow Nelson. But after the baron had stepped aside, he moved right back to his original spot, forcing the two females to stop in their course. This movement forward allowed the rogue to move up behind them and the two guards turned to face down Nelson. Kristie's heart pounded along with her headache. They couldn't stay where they were at and just let the rogue and baron catch them! With a firm grip on Amy's hand, she dashed sideways between the baron and rogue, heading towards the door. Amy's hand was wrenched from her grasp and she turned to see that the rogue had grabbed Amy's other hand, pulling her from Kristie. The child was tried hard to get away from the rogue and Kristie turned back to help her.

An arm snaked around her waist and she struggled to release herself from the baron. "Amy run!" Metal clashing told her that Nelson was now fighting the guards, though she couldn't see him because her back was to him. She remembered a defensive tactic Adam had taught them and stomped her foot on the baron's. His grip around her waist loosened as he growled in pain. She freed herself and arrived to help Amy only to have pain explode from the back of her head. The world went black.

Amy screamed at the sight of Kristie unconscious on the floor, the baron angrily standing over her with a broken bottle. She ceased her struggles to get away from the rogue and instead tried to get to Kristie. The rogue saw this and let her go, deciding the child wasn't going to go anywhere without the older woman. She turned her attention to Nelson, but found she was not needed there. The two guards had disarmed him and one held him against the wall with a sword to his throat.

"My father won't stand for this, Worthington!" Nelson growled out in anger.

The baron threw the broken bottle to the side and walked over to Nelson. "Your father will do what we tell him to do if he wants you alive!" He looked at the guards. "Get them out of here!"

He left the room, sure that the bandit Marisa had sent would be able to deal with moving the new hostages to a secured room. Worthington made his way to his personal chambers and shut the door. Then he pulled out the scrying bowl Marisa had given him and activated it. Pretty soon, Marisa's face appeared. "My Lady. Nelson is secured."

"Good. Any problems?"

"A minor one. He brought his fiancé with him and some kid, an orphan."

"Fiancé? Another noble?"

"No, Mistress. Commoner. Her name is Kristie Alexston."

"Alexston?" Marisa's face held cautious surprise. "Any relation to Baros Alexston?"

"His daughter."

A light danced in her steel-grey eyes. "How delightful! I want the traitor's daughter brought to me now. Bring Chantly, too. You can keep the orphan."

**...**

Baros entered City Hall after his short meeting with some of the Royal Stonemason's Guild members to settle some disagreements. While he was out he decided to walk around the city to see first hand how his many projects were coming along. There was one shop being remodeled for a new vendor. He wasn't sure who. The business portion had all been done via letters. He cut his last meeting short, however, because he wanted to get back to the office before Elenor arrived with an early lunch. They were planning on a picnic by the lake today.

He set his pack down and looked at the papers he had left on his desk, noticing a new letter had been dropped off while he was away. Letters were often coming to his desk and he ignored it for now deciding to deal with whatever it was after brunch. A noise made him turn around, hoping it was Elenor. It wasn't. "Oh. It's you."

"And a good day to you, too." Adam had been waiting for only a minute before Baros finally arrived. He hadn't really wanted to be here either. But his job was to report in once a day just in case there was any new information from either side. "Nothing new here. How about you?"

Baros only grunted and shook his head as he picked up the letter. Elenor entered the room with her picnic basket. "Hello Adam. Is Baros trying to ignore you again?"

Adam smiled at the woman. "As always. I don't know why. I'm a likeable fellow." Elenor laughed as Baros opened the letter. Her laugh faded as she saw her husband pale and suddenly sit down. Adam looked over to see what Elenor was concerned about and they both immediately moved over to him. "What is it?"

Baros handed him the letter and he and Elenor read it at the same time.

_To my dearest Baros,_

_I simply must thank you for your darling gift. Please know that I will take good care of my new pet. I believe her name is Kristie? Anyways, I will make sure nothing happens to her while she is in my care. Oh, and I'd hate to ask a favor of you, but I'm sure you'll be a dear and do it for me. I'll let you know what it is soon enough. Until then I'll make sure to take special care of my new pet. I do hope nothing happens to her while in my care. By the way, I'm sure that Shaw person would be jealous of my new pet. I would suggest not telling him. While I'm sure you would love to brag about giving me your precious Kristie, I'm positive the Stormwind guards would not care to hear about the pet. _

_Well, that's all for now. Just stay in that dreadful building of yours and I will be in contact soon._

_~Marisa_

_ps~ Have you ever felt like you're being watched?_

Elenor's face paled the same shade as her husband. Adam's face reddened in anger. "Who is this Marisa?"

"Marisa du'Paige. By the Light Baros! If she has Kristie..."

Baros stood up and turned to face Adam, punching him in the jaw. "Where were you!"

"Baros!" Elenor was just as surprised as Adam who quickly stood back up, this time more wary of the architect.

"You were supposed to keep an eye on her!"

"Baros! It's not his fault!"

"It may as well be." Adam's jaw was set. He blamed himself as well. His assignment was to keep an eye on the family and he had deliberately stayed away this morning because of yesterday. Would she be in this situation if he had come by? Adam stopped his contemplation, squaring his shoulders. "I'll find her and bring her back."

"You better! Because I'm not going to tell Shaw or the guards. And neither are you! I'm not going to do anything that would put my daughter in more danger. Especially if Marisa has her!"

Adam had to get what information he could if he was to succeed. "I need to know anything you can tell me about her."

Baros glanced at his wife and deflated a little. "Marisa du'Paige is the daughter of a former associate of mine and Edwin VanCleef's. He was killed in the Stormwind Riot."

Adam's face darkened, a steely glint coming to his eyes. "Many people died in the riot. Surely she can't be after you for that."

"You don't know her. She was a little unstable even back then. When her father died, she joined VanCleef for the mere reason she could do cruel things to those opposed to the Defias...and take joy from it. From the looks of this letter, she's gotten worse."

"If she's mentally unstable, then why trust her to not hurt Kristie?"

"I don't! But she obviously wants something from me. She may be unstable, but she is also smart. She won't kill Kristie until I've done what she wants."

"And then she won't need her anymore and kill her!"

"That's why you're going after her, you idiot! You're her only chance." Baros grabbed Adam's tunic in his hand, pulling the man closer to him. "Don't you dare fail her!"

"I won't. Where was she supposed to be this morning?"

"Horseback riding with Nelson and the little girl, uh...Amy. To Goldshire."

"Amy!" Adam let out a curse. This just kept getting worse and worse. Were Amy and Nelson taken as well? Or did they escape? He turned to go. Goldshire would be his first stop in finding them.

Elenor had fallen silent during the latter part of the conversation. Her worried eyes fixed on Adam's hands. "Adam. Before you go, come with me. There's something you should see."

Adam gave her an annoyed look. "I should leave right away. The trail goes cold even as we speak."

"I insist. You'll understand why in a minute." She took his hand and lead him out of City Hall. Adam remembered to ghost himself before they exited the building. The letter had hinted that they may be watched and he didn't want to cause any more troubles for the Alexstons. Without a word, Elenor walked into her home and up the stairs to Kristie's room. She stopped at her daughter's work stand where something sat with a cloth over it. "I heard Kristie working for half the night on this. I was curious to see what she was working on so came in this morning and found this." She removed the cover to reveal an unfinished sculpture of two hands. One hand was feminine. The other was masculine. The masculine hand looked to be touching the feminine one.

"I recognized her hand but wasn't sure whose the other hand belonged to." She held up his hand and put it next to the sculpture. "Someone has gotten her attention, Adam."

Adam reached out and touched the sculpture feeling a little surprised and almost in awe. "She made her decision." His voice was quiet as he spoke.

Elenor didn't bother asking what he meant. "I just thought you should know a complete picture of what's at stake here." She stepped out of the way. "Now go. Save my daughter."

Adam nodded and disappeared.


	8. Chapter 8

"She's coming around."

"Shh. Not so loud."

"Kristie?"

The world slowly came back, along with the pain at the back of her head. Kristie opened her eyes, blinking in the dim light. She tried to sit up, but found it hard to do as her hands were tied together behind her. Also, the floor seemed to be moving? She groaned as she adjusted her positioning so that she could use her legs to help her sit up. The effort brought on a dizzy spell and she had to pause before she looked around. She was in what looked to be a large container of sort. The floor was flat, but the walls and ceiling were rounded as though part of an oversized barrel. Nelson was there, along with another woman she hadn't seen before.

"Are you okay, Kristie?"

She nodded her head, groaned, then shook her head a bit slowly. "My head hurts."

"Understandable. You took a hard hit to the head."

Kristie recalled the reason she had been unconscious in the first place and her eyes opened wider. "Amy! Where is she?" She wasn't with them.

"Back at Worthington's. He kept her there."

"What does he want with us?"

Nelson glanced at the woman he had thought was named Lady Meg Straynor. It turned out she was was an SI:7 spy named Maggie Strome instead. "He wants me because of my father." He couldn't look at Kristie for some reason.

Maggie spoke what Nelson didn't. "He didn't want you or Amy. You were unexpected."

Kristie began to understand. She and Amy wouldn't be in danger if it wasn't for Nelson dragging them along. "Where are we going?" By the Light she wished she had a healing drought for her headache.

Maggie sat quietly observing the young woman. She looked to be about three or so years younger than herself. When she had woken up after being tricked by Worthington, she found herself tied up in her room with someone guarding the door. A number of hours later, she was brought downstairs and unceremoniously tossed into this moving prison. The baron had been nowhere in sight. "We don't know."

"He said something about his mistress. At first I thought it might be..." Nelson glanced at Maggie again who gave him a hard look and shook her head. "Well, anyway, it obviously wasn't."

Kristie looked at the woman. "Who are you?"

"Maggie. SI:7. I was undercover to find out who was behind all the issues with the Eastvale Logging Camp. I messed up and got caught." Her green eyes darkened at the reminder of her failure.

Kristie frowned. "So, father _did _contact Shaw about that."

Maggie nodded.

Kristie looked from one to the other. "Is there any hope of escape?" She wanted to go back to that estate and get Amy out of that man's house!

"There's always hope."

"But no one knows where we are or the situation we are in."

"One person might. He's our best hope. And I guarantee you, he won't stop until he finds us."

The moving prison suddenly stopped and movement was heard outside. A key in the lock turned and light burst into the container, temporarily blinding those inside. Two bandits entered and pulled Nelson out first, followed by Maggie, and finally Kristie. She barely had time to look around before they were pushed towards a small dock that hung over a river. She thought the trees looked to be the same as in Elywnn Forest, but since she hadn't traveled much, she couldn't be sure.

"Dockmaster! They're here. Open the door." A goblin came out of the small house next to the dock where he took a look at the prisoners before pointing back to the house. They all entered and the goblin reached back behind a wardrobe, pushing a button. The wardrobe slide to the side, revealing a staircase underneath. The bandits lead them down the stairs into a tunnel that lead to several passageways. The goblin had stayed upstairs, moving the wardrobe back over the hidden entrance. After walking a few minutes, the trio were finally ushered into a room where a lady in black stood next to another goblin.

Maggie gave a sharp intake of breath as she recognized the woman. "You're supposed to be dead!"

Marisa turned around to look at who had spoken. "The rumors of my demise are obviously false." She put on a pleasant smile as she saw the taller woman with black hair. "You must be the spy, my dear Bracen had so _easily_ caught," she purred as her eyes fell on Nelson. "And the Chantly boy. Such a joy for you to join us. Even more so that you brought..." She looked around to the third prisoner standing behind the spy. "...this little gem." Nelson's face paled as he began to realize how much danger Kristie was in because of his own selfish plans. "I would never have thought to use her or her father in my plan, until you so conveniently brought her to me."

Kristie squirmed and unconsciously took a step back. This woman seemed to know something about her and her family.

"Kristie Alexston, daughter of the traitorous Baros Alexston. And my newest pet." The lady in black reached up and stroked Kristie's hair as though she were petting a cat or dog. She enjoyed watching the girl cringe.

Maggie stepped between them. "Leave her alone, Marisa."

Marisa? Kristie gasped and felt herself backing up until she was stopped by the wall. She recognized the name. Her father had told her about the woman once. She and VanCleef had branded her father a traitor to the old Stonemason's Guild. They had even burned down her grandfather's farm in retaliation all because Baros had accepted the City Architect job...a job that had once belonged to VanCleef.

The woman's steel-grey eyes narrowed as she looked at Maggie. "Oh don't worry, deary. I'll be focusing my attention on you in due course." She turned to the men who brought the three. "Take these two to the others. Then tell the messengers to begin phase 3." She then returned her gaze to Kristie. "In the meantime, I have some pet training to do."

**...**

Adam had saddled his horse quickly and was racing down the cobbled streets in under ten minutes. Indy was glad to be free from the stables and ran hard and fast for his owner. Arriving in Goldshire, Adam began by quickly looking around, though why, he didn't know. They wouldn't have been taken in front of everyone. He stopped by the stablemaster who stood outside the inn. "Have you see three people horseback riding around here? A male, female, and a little girl?" The stablemaster shook her head and told him she sees too many people passing by to recall any distinctively.

Adam moved into the Lion's Pride Inn to ask anyone in there. After asking several people, he thought that perhaps his time would be better spent talking to people outside. A commotion arose outside the inn, and he hesitated his stride, listening to try and determine what was going on before stepping outside. But he didn't have to step outside as the commotion grew louder and was coming inside the inn itself. Adam sidestepped to hide behind a wall as he quickly determined it was an attack. Some of the horde were known to attack the town on occasion. He had figured that was it. He ghosted himself and readied to attack the intruders.

When the first one arrived, he had to pull himself back in surprise. It wasn't orc or troll or forsaken. The attacker was human! Then it must be bandits. He set to attack again, sneaking up behind the bandit and knocking him hard on the back of the head, coming out of his stealth mode to do so. The bandit dropped to the floor. Adam turned quickly to find another bandit, then another, and a fourth one! He could tell there were more outside the inn as well. They never come in such numbers! Some of the customers in the inn joined in the fray and the fight continued long and hard. Adam fought to his best ability, but they were all eventually outnumbered. He and the rest of the resisters were pushed to the floor and told to sit with their hands up behind their heads.

Adam's ribs were bruised and he had a few new cuts all over his body. He looked around the room. From his position, he could see around seven or so bodies lying on the floor. Whether they were just unconscious or dead, he didn't know. Where were the Stormwind guards? And what did the bandits want? It was very unlike them to come storming in to a town and take prisoners like this. They usually just sneak in and steal in the middle of the night. Or they'll occasionally show up in the daytime in a small group of two or three, hit one of the outside vendors and take off before the guards could get them.

One of the bandits approached a female standing somewhat near him. "Morgaine. Thirty-six prisoners in here. Twenty-one in the smithy. No counts in yet from the other houses in the area."

Adam kept his eyes on the floor, but listened to their conversation.

"Good. Marisa should be pleased. Did any escape?"

Marisa? She's in charge of all of these bandits? Adam felt a knot tighten in his stomach. There's more going on here than a simple kidnapping.

"Yes. We couldn't stop them all."

"Good. They'll inform Stormwind of the hostages for us. Gather names, quickly. We'll want to separate any who are of import. High ranking officials, nobles, relatives of nobles, etcetera. We'll take them to her." She left the inn, presumably to check on others. Adam clinched his teeth. He had a decision to make...and fast.

**...**

Maggie didn't like being separated from Kristie. But at the same time, she was alarmed to hear that there were others. More hostages? Where did they come from? The bandits shoved her and Nelson through the corridor until they came to their destination. The door was unlocked and she was pushed inside. It took great will just to keep from falling on her face as her hands were still bound behind her back. Nelson was not so lucky. The guards only laughed as they shut and locked the door.

Hands reached out to help him up as another pair of hands helped her free from the ropes on her wrists. Maggie glanced around. Some of the people looked like guards. Others looked like workers. "Thank you." She rubbed her wrists and arms as soon as she was freed.

"Ow!"

Maggie looked at Nelson. The man helping him was a bit rough on the noble. "Hey. Watch the handling."

The man growled as he looked at her. "I know this man. His father is a traitor!"

"Hey! He is not!"

"Woah! Hold up here. What does it matter whether he is one or not considering the situation we are in right now?" Maggie tried to keep her cool.

"I wouldn't be in here if it wasn't for his father. That's why it matters!"

"What?"

"Nelson, quiet!" Maggie moved over to the man, examining his face. Her eyes fell to a bit of his white tunic showing from under his leather vest. Barely discernible in the fabric a small scarlet thread was woven in and almost looked like a bit of lint. "It seems we are in the same guild, friend." She was still wearing the evening dress from the night before and did not have her own piece of identification. She held out her hand. "Maggie. Third Finger."

The man gave a small look of surprise. "Andro. Second." He shook her hand.

"Why do you think his father is a traitor?"

"Lord Grayson, one of his men, and I were sent into a trap by him."

"No they weren't!" Nelson was outraged at the accusation against his father.

"Who was it that suggested Lord Grayson go with only two men?" Andro growled at him.

"He was only looking to save taxpayer dollars. The real traitor is Baron Worthington!"

"A likely story!"

"One that I can confirm, Andro." Maggie stepped between them. "Think about it. If Nelson's father was the traitor, would Nelson be here now?"

Andro had been harboring hatred for the older Chantly ever since being captured. It was hard to switch off that feeling, but he forced himself to listen to reason. He took in a deep breath and let it out. "Then my apologies, Chantly." He looked back at Maggie. "What's your story?"

Maggie told him the circumstances of her capture and arrival here, then listened as he told of his own capture. "After we were caught in the trap, we were taken into the deadmines only to find that the juggernaut that was VanCleef's pet project was being fixed up and almost ready to sail. Marisa du'Paige was in charge, but she's not going to sail on the ship. She got one of her bloodsail buccaneer buddies to do that job. There are more prisoners there, including Lord Grayson and Sir Bryan."

"Hostages on a heavily armored ship. This does not bode well. We need to get out of here and warn Stormwind."

"Easier said than done."

**...**

Mathias Shaw walked quickly beside Lord Tony Romano and Major Mattingly as they made their way inside Stormwind Keep to see King Varian Wrynn. The king had returned the previous night after visiting his son in Kalimdor. Prince Anduin is currently studying to be a priest under the Draenai leader and prophet, Velen. Shaw knew Varian would prefer his son be a warrior like himself, but had not denied his son's choice. Perhaps it was a good thing the prince was away. The two entered the throne room and boldly approached the king, interrupting one of the nobles making some sort of speech.

"My King. We must speak with you immediately!" Shaw glanced around the room and back to Varian. "Alone, preferably."

Varian Wrynn narrowed his eyes. It was never a good thing when Shaw wanted to speak to him in private. He excused himself to a side chamber and once all three had entered, he turned to them. "What is it, Shaw?"

But it was Mattingly who had spoken up. "Sir, Goldshire has fallen."

"What!" Varian growled. "How?"

"From what those who had escaped have told me, the town was overrun with bandits."

"Bandits? Where were the guards? Why weren't they patrolling the roads? I'd have expected better than this from the troops, Mattingly!"

Shaw watched as his king paced the room, anger clearly written over his face. "Sir, there seems to be more to this. It was an organized hit. There are hostages taken. We don't know how many, yet."

Varian stopped and turned his attention to the SI:7 leader. "Defias?"

Shaw shook his head. "While I won't rule them out, there is nothing to indicate they are back together. A few wore the trademark red bandana, many did not. We believe that someone has organized all of the bandits of Elwynn Forest to work together for this."

"Who?"

"We don't know yet."

"Bah! It doesn't matter right now. Mattingly! Gather a squadron and go free Goldshire! Bring me prisoners! We'll find out soon enough who would dare attack those under my protection!"

Major Mattingly saluted the king and turned quickly to gather his troops. Varian turned to Shaw. "What else has been going on during my absence?"

Shaw spoke to him about the Eastvale Logging Camp and his investigation into it. He left out the part where one of his spies was missing. King Wrynn thought about the situation. "While the idea is a good one, taking away so much and raising the cost of lumber because of it is not. I'll talk to the nobles about holding less lumber and let the reserves gather slowly. The cost of the wood should come down."

Shaw gave a slight nod, though frankly he didn't care for the politics. "It turns out that there might have been a ruse. One of my operatives went to the storage spot for the lumber and there seems to be quite a bit missing."

Varian glared at him. "Where is it?"

"We don't know."

The king clinched his fists. "What good is your organization? You're supposed to be an _intelligence_ agency!"

Shaw narrowed his eyes. "My king pushes his luck when he speaks thus with an assassin!" His voice was low in warning. Mathias would never attack the king and Varian knew it. But Shaw did have his limits.

Varian stopped himself from retorting and tried to calm his temper. "Very well. What information _do _you have?"

"Nothing solid. But at the same time that this was happening, we got a report from Gryan Stoutmantle that there may be trouble at the Deadmines. Lord Grayson went to check it out yesterday with one of his men and one of mine. They haven't been heard from since."

"Have you sent anyone else out there?"

"I was going to, until Goldshire's troubles came up. Now I'm wondering if the two may be related."

"Once we get Goldshire back... Nevermind. Send another squadron to Deadmines now. Put Field Marshal Afrasiabi in charge of it. I want that place secured once and for all!"

Mathias glanced at Romano who merely nodded and bowed to the king before leaving to let Afrasiabi know of his new assignment.

**...**

Captain Quentin Bandor walked the top deck of the juggernaut. It was rather bulky compared to his own ship, the Sea's Castle. But it had more armaments and more room inside. The crew members he had chosen from his own ship were already here getting themselves familiar with this one. They would not make up the only crew, however. He had requested the help of some of Marisa's team of bandits to help with little things such as swabbing the deck, galley duty, taking care of and guarding the prisoners, and working the cannons. This left his more experienced crew to do the jobs they knew best, running the ship.

As he made his way to the lower decks, he let his mind wander. He had once been a student in Stormwind, studying architecture. He had left his studies to help in the war in Lordaeron. But he never made it there. His ship had been taken by Bloodsail Buccaneers. In lieu of being put on an island with the rest of the other passengers without food or water, he opted to join the pirates instead. He proved himself to them by challenging their first mate and killing him without remorse, surprising himself that he didn't care that he had killed someone. He eventually made his way to captaincy and was well known on the seas. He had even made use of his architectural studies, improving his ship to be the envy of the other buccaneers.

He would never give up his ship for this juggernaut, though. But he did feel almost honored to be asked by Marisa to captain it for this mission. Oh, he didn't trust her completely. No one should. The only one Marisa was ever loyal to was VanCleef. But Quentin knew her well. Their friendship and occasional trysts of convenience made him the perfect choice to captain this vessel for her. That and his experience, of course.

Below deck, he checked on the final preparations being made. There were stores of food and water, medicine, extra clothes, and lots of ammunition. Everyone knew their assignments and were not to deviate from them. He finally arrived at the lowest deck in the ship. This was where the brig was and he stopped in front of one of the cells. Of all the prisoners, these two never left the cell to do the work the others had to do. No. He wanted them safe and secure down here where they'll do the most good.

"Good afternoon, Lord Grayson. Sir Bryan." He ignored their glares. "I see you've completed the healing of the other prisoners. Very good." Once the two paladins had been brought to him he immediately saw their value, not only as hostages, but as healers as well. There were injured prisoners. It wasn't that he cared about them at all, but if they were at full health, then they could work all the harder and faster. There still was no response from the two inside the brig. He didn't expect one. It didn't matter. "Please remember to take care of yourselves as well. Perhaps shine up your armor a bit. You wouldn't want people to see it dirty when you are brought to the top deck later. Oh, and don't bother trying any trickery when it happens. If you attempt an escape, every injury or death you do to one of my crew, will only result in equal injury or death of the other prisoners."

Without another word, he returned to the top deck and looked around. It was time. "Return the prisoners to the brig! All hands on deck! Those not sailing with us leave now." He moved to the bow of the ship and pulled out his pistol. "Open the doors!" The shooting of his gun was the only fanfare he allowed. Two sets of bandits on each shore pulled at the large ropes that were attached to the doors. Slowly, the oversized doors came open and fresh air entered Ironclad Cove for the first time in years. Cheers echoed throughout the cove as the huge juggernaut, newly dubbed 'The Defiant's Vengeance', began to move towards the opening.

Although the doors were wide, the ship just barely had room to go through them. The going was slow until it finally passed the doors. Outside, Bandor's ship waited. It would follow at a safe distance behind the juggernaut. Quentin didn't want it involved in what was about to take place. His ship was positioned where it was for a quick getaway just in case. He was always prepared.

He nodded his approval for the smooth transition from cove to the open sea. "Next stop, Stormwind Harbor."


	9. Chapter 9

Elenor paced back and forth in the City Hall. Her husband watched her in silence. The work on his desk was left untouched. It had been an hour since Adam had disappeared. There was no word yet from anyone regarding the note. She went to the door and looked out, trying to discern if one of the people out there was watching them.

"Come back in here, Elenor. You might make people suspicious by constantly going to the door."

She returned to Baros and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Did we really interpret that note correctly? Maybe-" She cut herself off, knowing it was wishful thinking.

"No, Elenor. There can be no other meaning." Baros hugged her, resting his chin on the top of her head. "We just have to wait."

"The wait is over, Mr. Alexston." A man appeared in the doorway. He was dressed just like nearly any other man in Stormwind. His eyes were hard and cold and he held his dagger in his hands, spinning it around slowly.

"Where's my daughter?"

"Daughter? I don't know what you mean, Mr. Alexston. All I know about is a certain...pet." His mouth formed a smile. The rest of his face didn't.

Baros growled. "If one hair on her head is harmed-"

"-There's more to worry about than her hair. Now, let's get down to business."

He fully entered the room and shut the door, locking it from the inside. There was a large bag at his feet and he picked it up now, taking it to the desk and setting it on top of all the papers there. "You are to take these and place them indiscreetly around Stormwind Keep. They cannot be seen by anyone. I'll be with you to make sure the job is done, but I have implicit instructions that _you_ are to place them."

Baros looked at the devices within the bag. His gut sank as he began to realize what they could be. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe they weren't explosives. Yeah, and maybe Varian isn't the king of Stormwind. Baros could very easily see what Marisa wanted. He helped build the walls of Stormwind. She wants him to blow them up. "If these are what I think they are, too many people will be in danger when they go off."

"Make up your mind old man. Kristie, or the Keep?"

Baros looked at Elenor, his heart torn. "I'll place them, but please give me a chance to warn the citizens who are in there...even a ten minute warning."

The man gave a grim smile. "Marisa isn't a fool. She wants Stormwind to fall, and she wants the people to be alive so they know who did it. You'll get your ten minutes. Of course, she isn't concerned with any stragglers."

The bell on the clock tower rang eleven o'clock and Elenor glanced towards the door. "I need to go to the orphanage."

"You'll stay right here."

Elenor narrowed her eyes and set her back straight. "Young man, if I don't show up for my time at the orphanage building, they'll come looking for me wondering where I am and if something is wrong. Now I'm sure that is not something you want!"

The man turned towards her, stepping closer as he studied her face. "Either you're very smart or you're up to something."

"I'm not stupid. I know what's at stake." She kept her chin squared and kept a firm hold over her fear of the man.

He walked around her once. When he came back to face her again, he paused, looked towards the door, then stepped aside. "Speak to no one about us or your situation. We'll be watching you."

Elenor glanced at her husband once, then left the building. She was glad to be away from that stifling man. She hesitated only a moment when she got to the orphanage so that she could compose herself. After entering, she moved to the back where the kitchen was and began preparations for lunch. As she worked, she tried to keep to herself as much as possible. But at one point Shellene entered the kitchen to talk to Elenor.

"I'm going to the Trade District for some supplies. Need anything for the kitchen?"

Elenor's mind worked quickly as she realized she had an opportunity to get a warning out. She hadn't intended to come here to do anything except her job. But now that there was a chance to warn people of danger she had to consider it. There was a risk. But she saw no one watching her. It could be they only wanted her to _think_ they were watching her. Still, she's not _saying_ anything...she can write it down. She didn't trust those people. If explosives went off in the Keep, then lots of people could die. She couldn't have that on her or Baros' hands when she could have done something about it. "Yes. I'll make a list."

_Forgive me, Kristie_. She thought to herself as she picked up an inkwell and parchment and began to write:

_Take this to SI:7 immediately!  
><em>_Stormwind Keep in danger. Evacuate!_

"Tear it up!" Elenor nearly jumped out of her skin as she heard the voice whisper coldly from behind her ear. Something sharp pressed against her back. "Tear it up or I swear I'll tear one of these kids up!" Elenor slowly tore the note in two. "Leave!"

"You okay, Elenor? You look pretty pale." Shellene obviously didn't see the stealthed man behind Elenor.

Elenor put a shaky hand to her forehead. "N-no. Shellene. I wasn't feeling very well before coming here. But I wanted to come anyhow. Perhaps I was overzealous. Could you be a dear and ask Sharon to come in for me?" At Shellene's nod, Elenor exited the kitchen, leaving the torn pieces on the counter. She continued on until she reached her home.

"You're a stupid woman!" The bandit came out of his stealthed state and pushed Elenor against the wall as soon as the door shut the world out. His hand went to her throat. He didn't choke her, but he did hold her there to make her realize how precarious her situation currently was.

"Please don't take this out on Kristie! I was only concerned for the people in the Keep. You can take it out on me, but please don't hurt Kristie!"

"You should have thought of that before!" He couldn't backhand her like he wanted to. That would leave a mark. But there were other options. Turning his dagger around, he used the hilt to add substance to his punch to her stomach. He let her go as she doubled up in pain. He then used his elbow to hit her back, forcing her off balance and falling to the floor.

Elenor gasped for air and tried her best to catch herself as she fell to the floor. She slowly rolled to her knees sitting up and looking to the man. "I won't make any more attempts to warn others. I promise!" This was a different man, though he looked alot like the first. Perhaps they were brothers.

He pulled her up by the arm. "You won't have the chance. Because you're not leaving this building again!"

**...**

Major Mattingly climbed onto his horse and gave Field Marshal Afrasiabi a nod. They had their respective squadrons ready and were about ready to march out to Goldshire when Mathias Shaw arrived with his second-in-command, Rinzik, and ten of their men. Mattingly approached him. "What is SI:7 doing here? My order's didn't include your men, Shaw."

"We're dealing with hostages here. You're orders were to take back Goldshire. My men are going along to see that the hostages are freed with as few deaths as possible." Shaw nodded his head towards the goblin next to him. "Rinzik will oversee my men in this venture."

Mattingly frowned. He never particularly liked the goblin. Perhaps it was all those pointy teeth, or the shifty eyes. Whatever the reason, he had to put his personal feelings aside if he had to work with the agent. "You're not going, yourself?"

"I have other matters to attend to." With that, Mathias turned and left.

Mattingly sighed as Afrasiabi gave a very brief rundown of the plan to Rinzik. "Mattingly's squadron will storm in and engage the enemy while my men charge through on their way to Westfall. Then you and your men free the hostages. Questions?"

"Yes. What are you going to do with all the bodies?"

"Hm? Bodies?" Afrasiabi gave him a confused look.

"The bodies of the hostages that will be killed the instant those bandits see and hear you coming on those chargers of yours?"

Afrasiabi narrowed his eyes. "Do you have a better suggestion?"

"Obviously. Give my men and I time to get into place and take out the bandits holding the hostages. _Then_ your men can get their jollies by riding in heroically to save the day."

Mattingly had to admit that the goblin's was the better plan. He glanced at Afrasiabi. Although each were in charge of there own men and assignment, Field Marshal Afrasiabi was the higher ranking soldier and the initial charge into the fray was his decision. It was clear the marshal didn't care for SI:7 getting involved. Nor did he like the goblin's attitude. But he also knew the SI:7 agency was better equipped for such a situation. "Very well. You and your men will have a ten minute head start. Better get going!"

Rinzik's only response was to give a grim smile before signaling to his men to go.

**...**

General Marcus Jonathan nodded to the two squadron's leaving for Goldshire. He wished he were leading them. But Stormwind still needed defenders. They had to be on constant alert for Horde invaders. It didn't matter if it had been quiet for a long time. He would maintain his vigilant watch of the front gates for as long as he is needed to. The general rubbed his thick mustache as he considered his duty. Well, there was nothing stating he couldn't see them off.

Marcus urged his steed forward among the troops. He could immediately see the straighter backs and squared shoulders of the soldiers, encouraged by his display of support. He stopped his horse at the end of the bridge, just before the gates and called out a blessing to the soldiers. "May the Light go with you!"

The parade of troops was paused just outside the gates as Afrasiabi made sure they were all ready. The ten minutes was up. Rinzik's men had better be in position. "To Goldshire! For The King!" He signaled the charge and the yells of all the soldiers echoed throughout the Valley of Heroes. General Marcus felt a swelling of pride in the troops and watched them until they disappeared out of sight. He turned his horse to go back to his usual position in front of the statue of Turalyon. Halfway across the bridge, an explosion from behind sent chunks of wood and stone flying at him, hitting his armor and knocking him off his horse.

**...**

Elenor felt the tremors of the explosion a second before she heard it. Letting out a gasp of fear, she looked up and quickly turned her head to the man standing calmly by the kitchen door. "You said you'd give them warning! You said-" She cut herself off as thoughts of Baros came to her. Was he there? Is he alive? She would have put her face in her hands, but she couldn't. The man had tied her to the chair.

The man only gave an amused smile. "That explosion wasn't the Keep. It was the front gate."

Elenor's eyes grew wide with astonishment as she took in the new information. A second explosion wobbled her chair. This one was closer.

**...**

Baros turned around to see where this second explosion had come from. "What was that one?" He was getting more and more nervous, hating the situation he was in. After they had arrived at the keep, he placed a few devices around the inside of the courtyard then moved to the outside of the Keep wall. When a patrolling guard approached, he told him that he was examining the walls to make sure there were no cracks or other problems after the earthquakes and Deathwing's attack on the city. It was something he had done already, but a double check was a valid excuse to be here. Whoever had made the devices, had been very thorough and ingenious. Once the devices attached to the wall a sort of cloaking device camouflaged them so that they wouldn't be noticed unless someone was up close and looking right at them.

"That one was the entrance to the tram."

Baros looked at the man wondering just what Marisa had planned. Because it surely couldn't be what it seemed like. "She's cutting Stormwind off?"

The man only smiled. "You're work is done here. Let's go." As the two made their way back to Cathedral Square, Baros prayed to the light that he had remembered the original blueprints of the Keep correctly. The spots he had placed the devices were where they would hopefully do the least damage. And thank the Light this man didn't know that.

**...**

King Wrynn ran outside on the rampart looking for where the explosion was. He couldn't see anything where he was and continued his running to the barracks. Once on the other side, he looked through the battlements to see dust and smoke at the front gates...or rather what used to be the front gates. Part of one wall had collapsed under rocks that had avalanched from the mountain side next to it. The large wooden gates that hardly ever closed were nothing more than splintered wood now. The entrance to Stormwind was blocked. Grabbing a soldier near him, he commanded, "Get those gates cleared!" He gave more orders to send wounded citizens and soldiers to the cathedral.

Another explosion from the Dwarven District and he turned to see smoke pluming above the entrance to the tram. Varian narrowed his eyes as he realized this wasn't a random attack. There was a method to the explosions. "Send someone to the Mage District. Have them evacuate the tower." He hesitated then turned to the guard beside him. "Have the harbor cleared of citizens until further notice. Something's going on and I'm not going to take any more chances for citizens getting hurt. Prepare the harbor cannons. Go!"

**...**

General Marcus Jonathan thanked the Light for his plated armor that save him from the explosion as he tried to get to his feet. A sharp pain shot through his arm as someone grabbed it trying to help him. They let go at his cry of pain. He glanced down to see the plate armor on his arm bent at an awkward direction inward. The plate must have torn and dug into his arm. Blood was splattered on the plate. In pain, he pulled the ruined armor from his limb and said a quick prayer to the healing Light. With his arm healed, he allowed the guard to help him up. The arm felt stiff and tender, but the worst of it was fixed at least.

"Any casualties?"

The guard nodded his head. "A fisherman down by the small dock. Luckily, the Royal Stonemason's Guild members here were on their lunch break or else there would be more casualties and injuries."

Marcus nodded his head and glanced in the direction of where they had been trying to pull up the statue of Trollbane. Amazingly, the statue wasn't demolished. The rubble had landed beside it and there were a few scratches and chips, but otherwise in good condition. He then remembered his horse. looking around, he saw that the stallion has some injuries of his own, but no broken bones.

A second explosion caught his attention and he looked in that direction. "We're under attack! Guards to your stations!"

**...**

Quenten Bandor called for half of the prisoners to be brought to the top deck as they sailed around Westfall and the Stormwind harbor began to come into view. "Bring the paladins. I want them front and center. Stormwind will surely try to retaliate. We want to give them a reason not to." As his orders were carried out, he barely heard in the distance first one, then the other explosion and gave an emotionless smile. So far, everything was coming together just as planned.

Lord Grayson squinted his eye as he came out into the sunlight for the first time in a couple of days. As he waited for his one eye that was not behind an eyepatch to compensate, he was pushed over to a rope that was tied from one end of the deck to the other. The bandit forced him down to his knees. With Grayson's hands already tied behind his back, the bandit merely took another rope and used it to attach the paladin to the strung rope. Sir Bryan joined his superior and a few of the other prisoners were tied to the rope as well.

Grayson was finally able to see and looked around, quickly understanding what was going on. He struggled with his bonds not wanting to be a part of this, but so far having no choice in the matter. "No matter what you think you'll accomplish with this foolery, you won't win."

The captain didn't bother to look at the paladin as he answered carelessly, "On the contrary, we've already succeeded. Stormwind just doesn't know it yet."

The Defiant's Vengeance edged closer to the harbor and the captain's voice changed from careless to authoritative in an instant. "Man the cannons! Prepare to fire!" The deck was a flurry of motion as crew members got into their predetermined stations.

Lord Grayson fought the ropes all the harder, wishing he could warn those in the harbor. There were so many innocent people working and roaming those docks. He forced himself to calm down and closed his eyes, praying to the light for strength to break his bonds. The familiar warmth of the Light filled him and he gave one great pull on the ropes. He could feel the rope around his wrists begin to unravel as it strained against his strength. The sound of pistols cocking caught his attention and he saw two of the pirates guns. One was aimed at Sir Bryan, the other at one of the other prisoners.

"Go ahead. Break the ropes. See what happens." The voice came from Bandor's first mate. With a frustrated growl, Grayson ceased his efforts. He felt another rope being put around his wrists as Bandor yelled out, "FIRE!"

The paladin thought he might go deaf from the loud explosions of the cannon fire. They were close enough to the harbor now that he could see one of the docked ships splinter and rock from the impact of the cannon balls. The docks splintered as well. How many innocents had just been killed? Grayson closed his eyes, a righteous anger burning inside him as the captain called the order to fire again. The water near the ship suddenly burst sky high as a cannonball entered that spot. A split second later, the explosion from the Stormwind defense cannon was heard.

Grayson and Sir Bryan looked at each other with hope. The immediate retaliation from those cannons meant only one thing. Stormwind was prepared! This meant that maybe the harbor had been cleared? A lone Gryphon and rider appeared in the distant approaching the ship in a cautious zig zag route.

Bandor saw the gryphon and called out, "Hold your fire! Let him approach and get a good look."

The dwarven rider saw that the ship wasn't firing on him and he continued on his course until he could see the pirates. He came as close as he dared without risking getting caught himself and his eyes narrowed at what he saw. Hostages! And among them, Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker. He whirled his mount around and made straight for the Keep and King Wrynn.

**...**

Rinzik signaled to his men to move into position. After arriving and getting a quick lay of the situation, he had given quick assignments of who was to go where in the town. They had just gotten into position when the thunder of horses hooves sounded in the distance. The Stormwind troops arrived and immediately went after any bandit they saw.

Inside the Lion's Pride Inn, the bandits heard the commotion outside, but did not get a chance to respond as five Stormwind Assassin's appeared out of nowhere. In less than five minutes, the bloodshed was over and the hostages sitting on the floor stood up, still a little wary of the assassin's in their midst. Major Mattingly entered the inn with some of his men and nodded in approval at the sight of the freed hostages. Rinzik approached him. "I don't like it. It was too easy."

"For once, I agree, Rinzik. One would think there should be more bandits than this in order to take over this town. Where's Marshal Dughan?"

"Taken." Barkeep Dobbin's approached the two, overhearing their conversation.

"Taken? Where?" Mattingly wasn't liking this.

Dobbin's shrugged. "He and a number of others were separated from the rest of us and we haven't seen them since. Just so you know, there were more of them here. But after the others were separated from us, a number of the bandits left. There were just enough of them remaining to keep us from escaping."

Rinzik narrowed his eyes. "Something's up. They were either just after some of the hostages or this was a distraction."

A voice yelling from outside drew their attention. Exiting the inn, they saw a woman running up, out of breath. Kira Songshine had to catch her breath before she could give them the news. "The gates...of...Stormwind...blown up...explosion." Someone gave her some water to drink which she swallowed quickly. "The gates are blocked with rubble. No one can get in or out." She forced herself to breath slower now that she wasn't running anymore.

Major Mattingly called to his men immediately as he found his horse. He divided his men, leaving some of them to finish up here and the rest were to follow him back to Stormwind. Rinzik mounted his own horse, ordering three of his own men to stay behind. "Distraction it is!"

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: Okay, so taking over a city from a distance is not exactly my strong point. I hope it's at least a little bit believable. :)<em>


	10. Chapter 10

Kristie wanted to reach up to the rope tied around her neck to loosen it, but she knew better than to try it. The first thing Marisa had done after Maggie and Nelson were taken away was loop this rope around her neck. It's purpose was simple. If Kristie didn't do what Marisa wanted her to do, the rope would be pulled and the loop would tighten. The more she resisted, the tighter the rope became and the more she couldn't breathe. Kristie learned to 'heel' pretty quickly, though nothing stopped her from giving the insane woman a cautious glare. She was appalled at being treated like an animal, but also feared what the woman could do to her.

"Let's try something new." Marisa was clearly enjoying this as she pointed to a book on a table. "Fetch."

Kristie narrowed her eyes, staying put. A quick tug on the 'leash' part of the rope caused Kristie to stumble forward. Her hands, now bound in front of her, automatically went up to loosen the choking rope. Another tug pulled her completely off-balance and Kristie had to use her hands to keep herself from falling face first on the dirt floor. She stayed on the floor, trying to loosen the rope, barely able to breathe. A heeled black boot stepped on her hands, crushing them to her chest. "Lower your hands, Pet, and I'll loosen the noose."

It took all of Kristie's will to fight the urge to try and loosen the rope herself. When Marisa's foot moved, Kristie lowered her hands to her stomach. "What a good girl." Marisa leaned down and tugged at the 'collar' portion of the rope, then gave Kristie's head a pat as she gasped for air. "Do what your Mistress say's and you'll be just fine."

_I gotta get out of here_, thought Kristie. Just then, a low hum began to sound from one corner of the room and Marisa tugged lightly on the rope. "Up!" Kristie quickly climbed to her knees and then feet, not wanting to be choked again. She stayed close behind the woman as they went to the door. "Markus! Take this."

As the former defias named Markus came into the room, he was handed Kristie's leash. Kristie gave him a look wondering if she would be able to escape from him. Markus seemed to know what she was thinking and shook his head as he leaned in closer, "Don't even think about it." Kristie suppressed a shiver.

Marisa walked to the corner where the hum was coming from. She uncovered a bowl of some sort and talked into it. "Report, Terrell."

A voice emanated from what Kristie could only conclude was a scrying bowl. "The charges are set and ready."

"Good. Any problems?"

"Yeah. The mother decided to try and write a warning to SI:7. I stopped her."

Marisa's steel-grey eyes glared at Kristie as she asked, "Did you punish her?" Kristie could almost hear the smile in the man's voice as he said that he did. "Move the mother to the bowl." Kristie couldn't see in the bowl but she had assumed the man did as Marisa had asked. Marisa then summoned Markus over with Kristie so that she could see into the scrying bowl.

Kristie gave a small gasp as her own mother's tear-stained face came into view. "Mom!"

"Kristie, honey! Forgive me! I had to-" She was cut off by Terrell and Kristie moved forward as though to try and stop the man.

The rope began to tighten and Kristie automatically stopped. "Leave her alone!"

Marisa grabbed Kristie's chin with a black gloved hand. "I give the commands here, Pet." Then the woman backhanded Kristie, in full view of her mother. She turned to the scrying bowl. "That was just a warning, _Mother_. Some mother. More concerned about everyone else, over her own kin." Marisa's steely gaze went to Kristie and back to the bowl. "Bring forth Baros."

When Kristie saw her father, she felt almost ashamed, though she had no reason to. She could only guess that it was because of her current situation that is now causing her father a great deal of despair. She could see it in his face as he spoke. "I've done as you asked, now let her go!"

"Ah, ah, ah, my dear traitorous Baros. You have one more job to perform." She paused as she knew Terrell or Omar was pulling out a remote switch. "You are going to be the one to blow up Stormwind Keep." Her voice practically purred in the joy of informing him of his next duty. She watched him splutter in shock at this.

"But...the people...the people have to be warned!"

"Father don't do it! Don't-" Kristie's words were cut off as Markus gave a sharp tug on the rope. Kristie's hand went to her throat to loosen the noose. Oh how she wished she could just pull it off.

"You'll do as you're told! Not only for the safety of your daughter, but now for the safety of your wife as well!"

Kristie gasped and risked another choking. "No!" She attacked Marisa blindly, trying to hit her with her bound fists as best she could. The rope suddenly constricted around her neck and Kristie found she couldn't breathe. Her hands struggled to grasp the part of the rope around her neck. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear her father calling out to her as Marisa's furious face turned on her. The woman in black cast a spell and Kristie suddenly felt very cold. Her face turned bluish. Whether this was due to the lack of oxygen or the frost spell it didn't matter. Kristie saw black spots popping in and out of the edge of her vision. They slowly grew bigger and bigger until all she could see was blackness and her body went limp.

Markus caught her and loosened the rope, checking for a pulse. He nodded his head as Marisa turned back to the scrying bowl noting Baros' pale face and taking gratification in it. "She's still alive...for now. Remember, if you don't do as you're told, Terrell and Omar have instructions to kill your wife first, then inform me so that I may have the extreme pleasure of killing your daughter for your treachery! When the time comes, I expect you to push that button, but know this...I have a remote as well. If you don't explode the walls of the Keep, not only will your family suffer, but I'll set off the charges myself and you'll still have lost!" She waved a hand over the scrying bowl, making it inactive again.

**...**

Major Mattingly and Rinzik arrived at what was left of Stormwind's front gate along with their troops. Mattingly was surprised that no one had started to remove the rubble and he immediately ordered his men to go in to make a clearing. They went in, but as soon as they picked up a stone or piece of wood, the sound of an arrow flying sounded and one was sticking out of the ground next to one of the soldiers. More arrows came from up in the mountain sides that flanked Stormwind's crushed gates. Some gunshots were heard as well as a couple of soldiers fell down.

Mattingly saw the danger his men were in and immediately ordered, "Pull back! Pull back!" The soldiers ran back out of range of the sharpshooters.

Rinzik motioned to his men and they dismounted quickly and quietly. "We'll take care of the ones on the left." He and the rest of his men vanished. He didn't have to give orders. Rinzik knew his team well. They would strike quickly and deadly and give no mercy save for one or two to be retained for questioning. They made their way up the mountain and paused to count how many were shooting those below. There were nine shooters. He had seven men with him. In his mind, the odds were in SI:7's favor.

The signal was given and the shooters almost didn't know what had happened. A couple shouted out a warning, but it was too late for those on this side of the gates. Some of the shooters on the right side of the fallen gates saw what was happening and began aiming for the agents. Fortunately, the SW mages had rallied and came to help, freezing, polymorphing, and sending their arcane bolts at the bandits. It was all over within a few minutes.

Mattingly and his men cheered on the mages and agents and got to work immediately clearing a path into SW. When Rinzik rejoined Mattingly, he gave a casual comment, not looking at the man. "Distraction it may have been, but I'm inclined to believe there was more to this. Those bandits were organized, yes. But beaten, too easily."

The major glanced at the goblin in retrospection. "True. It seemed much like one of their hit and runs they usually do in Goldshire...only on a grander scale."

Rinzik smiled calculatingly. "Perhaps it was both distraction _and_ hostages they were after."

Mattingly only grunted and began once again to help clear the rubble.

**...**

Captain Bandor walked around the top deck of the juggernaut and used a handkerchief to wipe the perspiration off of his forehead. He shielded his eyes and glanced up at the sky. The sun had been bearing down on them all day. By his estimation of the sun's position, he judged it to be about 4:00. Despite the warm weather, he kept his captains coat on, insisting on proper decorum. He glanced down at the prisoners, especially the two paladins in full armor. He knew they must be roasting inside their armor. Still, he did not provide any relief for them.

One prisoner shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position than on his knees. Quentin walked over to one of Marisa's adepts that had come along and ordered her to conjure up some bread and water for himself. His crew would get their own food and water from the galley. He casually ate and drank the water as he walked in front of his prisoners, disregarding their gazes upon his water. About an hour ago, he had fired upon a ship most likely coming from Teldrassil. One shot was all that was needed to force the unarmed ship to turn around. It was probably rerouted to Menethil Harbor. He didn't give chase as he would have were he on the Sea's Castle. No, the juggernaut was staying put.

He now turned to observe Stormwind Harbor. There was no movement upon the docks. Had there been, he would have ordered the cannons to fire. His cannons could reach the docks and just barely beyond if the aim was right. He made sure to keep The Defiant's Vengeance just out of reach of the Stormwind defensive cannons. He was waiting. Bandor knew Wrynn would be furious at seeing this ship just sitting out here without rhyme or reason. Of course he was intelligent enough to at least connect the two explosions with the reason this ship was here. But there had been no contact to the king or anyone else as to exactly why any of this was happening in the first place.

The captain allowed himself a self-satisfied smile. Leaving Stormwind alone for awhile to question the actions of the juggernaut and other bandits was nearly a stroke of genius by Marisa in his opinion. Of course, the city would be retaliating. And by now, they may have even recovered from the initial explosions. That didn't matter. There were more surprises in store for them.

He looked in his cup, seeing a bit of water left over. In full view of the parched prisoners, he shrugged and poured the last of the water onto the deck. It was time for the next installment of the plan. He turned to the prisoner he had seen shifting position earlier and pulled out his sword. "Untie this man," he ordered one of his crew. His sword kept the man in his spot as Bandor called to his first mate to bring the papers. He never took his eyes off of the prisoner as the requested papers were handed to him. "Aren't you the lucky one? You've been chosen for a very important mission." He stuffed the papers into the top of the man's tunic as his sword tip cut into the man's abdomen.

The prisoner clenched his teeth in pain, but tried hard not to cry out in pain. Lord Grayson, of course protested and insisted on being allowed to heal the injured prisoner, but Bandor would not listen. He wanted the man wounded. If he were injured, then he would be all the more intent on getting to his destination as soon as possible. "Take him to the dinghy."

Bandor stayed on the top deck as his men dragged the man to the small rowboat. Once there, he called out, "Take good care of those papers, my good sir. And do make haste to the harbor. I'd rather not have to waste more parchment writing new letters." With that said, the crew members set him roughly inside the dinghy and pushed it off, letting the man row towards the harbor with blood still spreading on his tunic.

The wounded man rowed quickly and with as much energy as he could muster, but halfway there, he found he was already waning due to lack of nourishment, water, and blood. He slowed his progress in order to save his energy, allowing the small boat to glide for a little bit before rowing again. By the time he reached the harbor, he was dizzy and could barely move. Luckily for him, others had seen him coming. The dwarven gryphon rider, Thargold Ironwing, who had flown out towards the ship earlier now came flying down to the docks and helped the man from the boat and onto his gryphon. He then swiftly flew him to the Cathedral steps where some priests had come out to help the released prisoner.

Before the prisoner allowed himself to be tended to, he insisted on giving the papers to Thargold. The dwarf took them with a little confusion. But as soon as he saw what they were, he jumped back onto his gryphon, Cloudstrike, and made for Stormwind Keep.

**...**

Adam squinted his eyes at the bright sunlight as he exited the traveling prison they were in. Like the others, his arms were tied behind his back and he had to concentrate to keep his balance on the steps to the ground. The rogue quickly took note of his surroundings. There was a small house next to a short dock on a river. Across the water he recognized the woods of Duskwood. So, they were still in Elwynn Forest.

"Dockmaster! More guests!" Adam didn't bother to look to see who had called out as he heard a familiar whinny. He turned his head to see Indy along with a few other horses behind the prison. The bandits had stolen their horses! Adam made a subtle motion with his hand, motioning for his horse to stay put. It amazed him, sometimes, how underestimated horses are by people. He knew his horse at least was a very intelligent animal and he had trained the beast various hand signals to follow. This had gotten him out of jams in the past. One of the bandits pushed him forward and Adam returned his attention to his surroundings.

Marshal Dughan struggled to free himself, having no desire to be used as a hostage. He was rewarded by a shove forward and a punch to the gut. The thug who hit him glanced around to the rest of the prisoners, his eyes settling on Adam. "Anyone else want to resist?" Adam only looked back at him and shook his head once. He ignored the glare from the marshal.

They were led inside and down a flight of hidden stairs. Adam made mental notes of the lay of the place and counted how many guards there were. After a few minutes the eight prisoners were stopped as a door was cautiously opened. The guards used their pistols to keep those already inside at bay while the new arrivals entered. Adam looked around as the door shut.

A curse was made and a female voice said, "What the fel are you doing here?" Adam turned in surprise to see Maggie standing among the hostages.

"I could ask the same of you." He approached her as she turned to another man with dark hair and moustache. He had a day old growth of a beard and wore black clothes.

"Andro, meet our supposed rescuer, Adam." Her voice was full of sarcasm.

Adam raised an eyebrow, ignoring Andro for now. "What's with the tone?"

Maggie kept her voice low so the other prisoners wouldn't hear. "I was figuring you'd be on our trail since you were supposed to be looking after Kristie. Instead you ended up being caught!"

Adam grabbed her arm as his expression became serious. "Is she here?" Kristie was the first person he had looked for once inside. He hadn't seen her and prayed to the Light that he hadn't just made a big mistake.

"Yes. She's with Marisa, the one in charge around here. Almost as soon as we got here, she pulled Kristie aside saying something about her father. We haven't seen her since."

Adam gave a curt nod. "Baros received a note stating that Marisa had her. I happened to be there when he opened it or else I wouldn't have known."

Maggie frowned. "Why not? You were supposed to be watching the Alexstons."

Adam glared at her. "It doesn't matter now. I followed her trail to Goldshire when all fel broke loose and the town was taken over by bandits."

"Goldshire? What does she want with Goldshire?"

"I don't know. Anyways, I learned they were going to separate hostages to be brought here and got myself picked to be one of those hostages. Now how did _you_ get here?"

Maggie told him very briefly about her own experience, giving a nod towards where Nelson was sitting against a wall when she mentioned him. Adam gave the man a quick once over. So that was the man Kristie was dating. He found himself starting to compare the man and himself but stopped. There were more important things to pay attention to right now. Then Andro told of his adventures in Deadmines. "So, we have an insane woman running a bunch of cutthroats and thieves, taking over Goldshire and Deadmines, gathering important hostages, and extorting a city architect. That sound about right?"

Maggie nodded her head. "That pretty much sums it up."

Adam gave Nelson a hard look. From Maggie's story, he had gathered that Nelson and Kristie had gotten caught by the baron. But how? He intended to find out and he approached the noble. Nelson stood up when he saw Adam come towards him. "How did you and Kristie end up here?"

Nelson wondered how this person knew Kristie. Surely she wouldn't fraternize with the likes of him. Although, for some reason this man looked familiar, but he couldn't place him. "We were horseback riding and I decided to visit the baron and introduce her to him."

"You led her into the lion's den!"

Nelson didn't understand why this man was so upset. "I had no idea the baron would betray me! We were just sitting down for morning tea when Kristie decided she had a headache and took Amy-"

"Amy! Where is she?" Adam glanced around the room quickly and then back at Maggie. "You didn't tell me she was in danger!"

"I hadn't had the chance, Adam. She's not here. The baron still has her."

Adam paced back and forth as he tried to keep his temper in check. Not only was Kristie in danger, but Amy was too, and they were in separate places.

"Adam!" Maggie put a hand on his arm, recognizing the concern he had for the two and beginning to realize there was more at stake here than an agent looking after his charge. "We'll come up with a plan and get _everyone_ out of here." She emphasized the word 'everyone' to remind him of his greater duty. "Then I'll help you myself get Amy and bring her home."

Nelson was watching the man pace. Adam? That name had a vague familiarity to it. He tried to recall why when a thought occurred to him. Nelson tried to get a better look at Adam's face without being too obvious about it. It couldn't be!

There was no time to ask him as the door unlocked and opened, a guard entered and looked around. Pointing at Nelson, he said, "You. Marisa wants a word with you." Pistols were aimed into the room as the door was drawn open wider to allow Nelson to exit.


	11. Chapter 11

Thargood flew straight to Stormwind Keep and landed in the garden. He dismounted and ran to the throne room where King Wrynn stood with Mathias Shaw and General Marcus. He handed the king the papers from the releases hostage.

_Dear Stormwind House of Nobles and Mr. Wrynn,_

_By now, I'm sure I've gotten your attention with my little firecrackers. And I'm sure you're already getting ready to clean it up. Don't bother. Once you clean one mess up, I'll probably make another. Now, I know many of you would rather ignore me. Silly people. I refuse to be ignored. And I've taken measures to insure your cooperation. _

_I'm sure you are aware of the hostages on board my beautiful juggernaut sitting outside your harbor. As I'm sure you'll make some sort of ill-concieved plan to rescue them. These are not my only hostages. And you will not find the rest. I've included a list of the names of many of my special guests. The list is not complete, and believe me, I'll take any opportunity to add to it that I can. I expect the House of Nobles to pay for the freedom of the hostages, including those of the common citizens. I have no qualms with killing any and all hostages. It's high time the House of Nobles pay their crimes against the old Stonemason's Guild, the common citizenry, and for the deaths of those who were wronged by them. You will be contacted tomorrow with the final cost._

Varian silently handed the note to Mathias as he looked over the list. Although fury smoldered in his eyes, he couldn't help but thank the Light that Anduin was on another continent right now. He made note of familiar names on the list then handed it to Shaw as well. The SI:7 agent looked the papers over pausing to reread the hostage list before handing them to General Marcus "Contact the families on this list. Have them gather in the courtyard so they all can hear of this at the same time. Reassure them that we will do whatever we can to rescue their family members." General Jonathan nodded his head and left.

"My men will be attempting a rescue of the hostages on the juggernaut tonight before the moons arise." King Wrynn only nodded as he gazed out the window towards the harbor. The silence grew thick as the king became lost in thought. Finally, Varian looked over at the SI:7 leader. "The note indicated they would be attempting to take more hostages."

"Attempting and succeeding are two different things, your highness. You could increase the number of guards in the city."

"That may help the citizens inside the city, but what of those outside?" Mathias watched his king, noting the worry lines that seemed to etch deeper and deeper with each new bit of bad news. He said nothing in response to Varian's question, knowing full well it was rhetorical.

Varian moved away from the window. "We need to find out who is behind this and stop them. That'll protect our citizens the best!"

Mathias leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed. "Let's go over what we know about them. With the mention of the old Stonemason's Guild it's got to be a former defias member."

"You said you didn't think they had been reformed."

"I still don't think they have been. If they _had_ been, they would have admitted it right away." Mathias pushed off from the wall and walked back towards Varian. "They hate the House of Nobles."

"That doesn't narrow it down much."

"No. But that mention of the death of those wronged sounds personal."

Varian glared at Shaw. "There were many who died, including my wife!" The king began to pace, furious over this bit of information. "You don't see me threatening the innocent!"

"No, but I've seen you threaten the House of Nobles a few times." Mathias gave a humorless smile as the king whirled on him about to ask what that meant. When he saw the man's smile, he realized it was an attempt at humor and huffed away. "Rinzik is questioning the bandits he caught outside the front gates. I'll send word as soon as I have any new information. Until then, I have some questions of my own to search out." He gave a stiff bow and paused until Varian gave a nod.

Shaw left the Kings throne room and headed for his headquarters to look up a couple of files. Maggie Strome had been missing for a couple of days now. He could only assume she got too close to something and had been discovered. He glanced over her file to determine if it held any clues as to what she may have found. It didn't. The next file he checked was Adam's. Out of all the names on the list, he hadn't expected to see Adam's. How did this happen?

As he stood there contemplating everything, he recalled his earlier conversation with the king. They had discussed what they knew. He put Adam's file back and quickly made his way downstairs to where another SI:7 agent was standing. "Jackson, are you on assignment?" When the man shook his head, Mathias motioned for him to follow and quickly led him back upstairs to the file room. "Help me search through these files. I want all files pulled out who were former Stonemason's Guild members, former defias members, and who had someone close to them die in the Stormwind Riot!"

**...**

High Sorcerer Andromath teleported himself to the throne room of the Keep and requested an audience with King Wrynn. After just a couple of minutes, King Wrynn approached him. "Sire, a growing number of citizens seek escape from Stormwind, feeling it unsafe for the time being. We've had many requests for portals, though I've instructed the mages not to allow any except for dire need for now. I wanted to get your official stand on this."

Varian listened quietly, frustrated with the situation, but unable as yet to do anything about it. "The ransom note said nothing about people leaving Stormwind. Contact Velen in the Exodar and see if they can prepare some room for those who wish to take sanctuary there."

Andromath raised a grey eyebrow. "Not to Ironforge? ...And why Exodar?"

Varian shook his head. "Not this time. These bandits have been predicting our reactions too easily. I want to shake things up." He did not add that he would rather not show any weakness to Ironforge at this time, due to his marching in and nearly executing Moira Thaurissan.

"Very well. I'll contact Velen now." With the king's permission, he teleported to Exodar and asked to be allowed to speak with Velen. The prophet did not make him wait, but instead came to him. After explaining Stormwind's situation, Velen agreed to host the refugees then asked if there was anything else he could do. Andromath wasn't authroized to officially ask for any other help so he declined, stating that perhaps he should talk to King Wrynn first.

Andromath returned to where three mages stood waiting for him just west of the Stockades by the canals. Elsharin, Maginor Dumas, and Jennea Cannon looked at hims expectedly. "Portals to Exodar to those who want them." Announcements went out among the citizens that if any wished to leave Stormwind for a short duration, there will be portals available west of the Stockades. However, they were also asked to seriously consider their decision before leaving. The did not want to overwhelm the Exodar.

**...**

Omar kept himself stealthed next to Baros Alexston. His dagger practically digging into the architect's side. Elenor had been moved upstairs with Terrell to insure Baros' continued cooperation. Someone had come knocking at the door. Baros answered it as best he could. A messenger stood there giving the mage's announcement, then left quickly. After the door closed, Omar reappeared with a frown. "She knew they would attempt this." He ordered Baros to stand away from the door as he pulled out his own remote. "The reason we didn't come to you right away after the note was delivered to you was we were busy with a little...security measure."

Baros closed his eyes. "What are you going to do?" He was almost afraid to ask.

"Just a little something to get their attention." He pushed the button and a third explosion was heard. This one sounded close!

Baros ran to the window. He could see across the courtyard of the cathedral and saw smoke coming up from the old tailor supply shop. "Why?" He hoped no one was around there.

"Why not." Omar's voice was dead flat.

A stormwind guard ran towards the burning building quickly to see if there was anyone injured. He saw no bodies, but still he froze in surprise. Inside the building through the smoke, magical words floated on the air. In a flash, he turned and ran across the bridge towards where the park used to be. He yelled as loud as he could to the mages that he could see across the draining canal. "Stop! Stop the portals!"

High Sorcerer Andromath put up a hand to those waiting to step through the portal to the Exodar when he heard the shout. He had the king's and Velen's permissions. That explosion across the way was yet another reason to get these citizens to safety! Yet this soldier was demanding he stop? He narrowed his eyes and waited for the soldier to finish winding his way around the edge of the crater until he reached the mages.

The soldier was out of breath by the time he reached them. "There's a message inside the burning building! It said 'No More Portals!'"

Andromath quickly teleported himself to the building and looked inside. How did they know so fast? He returned to the portal spot and ordered the portals be halted for the time being. "Elsharin, please go over there and see if you can trace the magic forming those words. I don't know how long they will remain." She nodded her head and disappeared. He left Jennea and Dumas to explain to the citizens the reason they cannot take a portal for now as well as apologize. As soon as she had Elsharin's report, he'll go to the king with the information.

**...**

Kristie didn't want to wake up. She knew she would only be reentering her nightmare. Instead, she decided to pretend she was still unconscious. How could she get herself out of this situation? She certainly didn't intend to be this mad woman's 'pet' for the rest of her life. What was with her and this pet thing anyhow? And why did she have such a vendetta against her family? Kristie almost gave away her alert status by sighing. She focused her mind back on how to escape.

After some deliberation, she decided that her best and safest option, for now, would be to go along with this pet nonsense. If she were to pretend to give in and be more compliant, then maybe Marisa would be more relaxed and make a mistake that she could take advantage of. With that decided, she finally opened her eyes. She immediately regretted that as she looked up at Markus sitting in a chair next to her, holding the end of the 'leash'. She was lying on a blanket on the floor. There was a bowl of water next to the blanket and Kristie made a face. Surely Marisa didn't expect her to drink from a bowl?

She sat up slowly, putting her hands to her neck. The skin under the rope felt raw and tender. A slight tightening on the rope told her that Markus had seen that she was awake. She glanced at him, giving a fearful look. She had to be careful in this plan. It hit too close to home to her true feelings. Seeing the fear in her eyes, the man gave a superior leer and leaned closer as he spoke quietly, "Finally figured out where you stand here?"

Kristie only pulled back away from him and didn't look at him as her hands rubbed at her neck. She heard him chuckle before alerting Marisa that her pet was awake. The woman approached, appraising Kristie's new look of fear. "Come, pet. We have a special guest arriving any minute now." She took the leash and Kristie stood hurriedly to avoid getting choked, following behind Marisa obediently. She soon found out who the special guest was when two guards entered with Nelson.

"Kristie. Are you okay?" The young noble stepped over towards her. Kristie started to step towards him as well, but a quick tug on the rope stopped her. She could feel Marisa's gloating gaze but chose not to look at her, keeping her own eyes downcast to hide her anger. Nelson protested. "Hey!" But anything else he may have said was cut off by Markus's sword resting across his chest.

Marisa smiled. "Nelson Chantly, son of Lord Trevor Chantly. Welcome to my humble abode. I'm afraid I haven't shown you the proper respect you deserve. If you'll step this way?" She walked over to a door near the back of the room, Kristie automatically following. She felt suddenly alarmed at how Marisa spoke to Nelson and blurted out a warning to him.

"Don't go!" Tears came to her eyes when Marisa jerked the rope this time. The skin under the rope burned and she was sure it would start to bleed soon if it hasn't already.

Marisa turned her steely gaze on Kristie. "Did I tell you to speak?" She held Kristie's gaze until she looked down. "No. I did not."

Nelson watched this exchange and wondered just what was going on. He decided he didn't want to find out and began to back away from Markus' sword. The two guards grabbed him and forced him into the inner room. A goblin in a simple grey robe appeared in the doorway awaiting orders.

"Have fun with him, Grixil. You know what I like to hear."

"As you wish, Mistress." The goblin suddenly became shadowy before he closed the door.

Kristie grabbed ahold of the collar portion of the rope and started to take it off while Marisa wasn't looking, but a sword across her stomach reminded her that Markus was still watching. A few minutes later, Kristie heard Nelson cry out in pain. "What are you doing to him?"

Marisa narrowed her eyes, but allowed the question. "Just a little...pain."

"Why?" Despite Markus' sword at her midsection, Kristie tried to rush forward but the man behind her anticipated this and his other arm grabbed her upper arm in a tight grip.

"Why not?" Marisa paused to listen to Nelson cry out again, a pleased smile forming. "He's a noble." She looked at Kristie and then took her left hand, pulling the engagement ring off. "Be glad you hadn't married into that, my pet. Or else you would be suffering the same fate!" She threw the ring across the room. She then looked at Markus. "Tie her up! This is obviously too emotional for her."

Kristie was forced to sit in a chair and then bound to it all the while hearing Nelson's screams in the other room.

**...**

Shaw left Jackson to continue going through the papers. It was time for him to start assembling his team. He had chosen a smaller team with the idea of striking swiftly each guard on the way to the top of the juggernaut and then attacking the captain while the hostages are freed. There were four rogues, himself, and a shaman. The dwarven shaman was there to give the team the ability to breathe underwater, as well as be a back up and to heal wounds as they retreated. He was to stay in the water otherwise.

Shaw changed into an outfit that was appropriate for traversing in water as well as on the deck of a boat. He then met the four men and one woman at the bottom of the SI:7 headquarters. After giving one final set of instructions, he signaled for the rogues to stealth themselves. The best the shaman could do was transform into a ghost wolf.

They made their way to where the park used to be and propelled themselves down the side of the cliff. At the bottom of the cliff, they eased themselves into the water and the shaman cast her water breathing spell. They all dove deep underwater and headed towards the ship. It was hard to see in the depths of the water and had to stick close. At one point a shark spotted them and began to circle them for an attack, but the shaman easily hexed it into a harmless frog.

Once they finally got to the ship, Shaw gave hand signals to use special hooks that clamped onto the wood and helped them climb the sides of the ship. He led the way at the stern of the ship, climbing silently over the edge. The moon hadn't risen yet so the only light in the area was that from the lanterns on the juggernaut. Shaw used the shadows to his advantage as the first pirate didn't even have a clue what hit him.

The team moved swiftly to the next target. A bright light suddenly appeared along with a loud bang. Pirates shouted warnings and a pistol shot rang out. Shaw watched one of the agents fall over the edge of the ship. Mathias could only hope that Gringold, their shaman, had seen the fallen agent and go after him. With his team exposed to the bright lights, there was no choice. "Abort! Abort!" He pause only long enough to make sure his team heard him and then dove over the edge of the ship as bullets flew by him.

Shaw swam to their rendevous point behind the lighthouse and pulled himself onto the grassy beach. One by one, the team emerged from the water. The last ones to arrive were the shaman and the fallen agent. Shaw and the other agents helped Stagmight Gringold pull him ashore. The dwarf immediately began asking the elements for their healing waters. It was a tense few minutes before the shaman looked up and nodded. The agent will live.

A bright spotlight beamed from the juggernaut and Mathias walked around the lighthouse to see what was happening. Four silhouettes could be seen. One of which looked to be one of the paladin hostages. Another silhouette stepped forward and Shaw could hear his voice bellow out, "One of my crew members is dead because of your foolish rescue attempt." The paladin was shoved forward and Mathias tensed as he realized what was going to happen. But he was helpless to stop it from this distance. "Now it's time you paid the price." The man drew a pistol and aimed it at the paladin's head. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

"NOO!" Shaw's men held him back as his yell echoed throughout the harbor. The SI:7 leader was furious. He was furious at the captain for killing one of the hostages. He was furious at himself because the rescue attempt was foiled by a simple trap that he should have anticipated. He shrugged off his men as he clamped a tight hold on his roiling emotions. A volley of cannonballs was fired from the juggernaut towards the docks as if to add another punishment for the foiled attempt.

"What happened?" The shaman had been waiting in the water so he wasn't sure why the mission had failed.

"Some sort of device that could detect us even when we were stealthed." Shaw thought about what he had said and wondered why the alram didn't go off for the pirates on board. "...Or perpahs it was _because_ we were stealthed..."

The first of Azeroths two moons was beginning to rise and Shaw led his team back in the water to swim to the main land. There was no chance for a second attempt. They were not prepared anyhow. He was going to have to find out about any other traps and devices and come up with a new plan. But a new plan wasn't what was foremost in his mind right now. What he was mainly wondering about was which paladin was it that had been shot? And how was he going to explain to their family why he died?

**...**

"While normally I would agree with my king, I feel we should be ready to pay the ransom whatever it may be. Otherwise, the people may revolt saying their king cares nothing for them."

Shaw leaned in towards Varian. "Since when does a noble care what the commoners think?" It was getting late, but Varian had insisted on meeting with the House of Nobles before the morning came.

King Varian Wrynn silenced Shaw with a stern look before returning his gaze to Baron Bracen Worthington. "If we give in to these extortionists this time, what's to stop someone else from attempting the same thing?"

"Would you have the same response if it were Prince Anduin?" Lord Chantly spoke in an icy tone.

Varian narrowed his eyes. With a dangerous undertone to his voice he replied, "You _know_ how I responded the last time someone kept my son from me."

"And we know how a similar attempt earlier tonight had failed. For all we know Lord Grayson may be dead."

Shaw gave Chantly a hard look never shifting his gaze until the noble began to feel uncomfortable with the professinal assassin staring at him.

"And what resources would you use this time when we are still trying to recover from the war?" The king pushed on with his point before Chantly or anyone else could respond. "What resources will you use next time? Or the time after that?" He tried very hard to keep his temper in check, but it was difficult after the news he had gotten earlier from Andromath.

"May I remind His Royal Highness that the House of Nobles raised the large fee for His Majesty's release from the Defias Brotherhood."

King Wrynn growled as he put a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it. "And the people paid the price for it due to the taxes you raised because of it." He would rather be out fighting a battle than sitting here talking politics.

"I agree with Baron Worthington." Lord Aron Boxley spoke up. "...to a degree. I think we should be prepared to give something to them. But at the same time, risk another attempt at finding and rescuing all of the hostages."

Varian glanced at Shaw who gave the slightest nod of his head. "Agreed. The House of Nobles will prepare a ransom as stated in the letter. Meanwhile we'll look into who's behind this and see what we can do to get those hostages rescued." There was not much left to discuss and the meeting was adjurned.

Shaw stayed behind to have a few words with King Varian. "I've had one of my men pouring through records and pulling out any files on known defias members who were also a part of the Stonemason's Guild, and who had lost a family member in the riot."

Varian glanced sideways at Shaw. "And...?"

Mathias made a signal and Rinzik appeared out of nowhere, handing about twenty papers to Shaw. "Here." He handed some of them to the king. "This narrows it down some." He glanced over some of the papers he still had and frowned. "This one can be ruled out. Some adventurers killed her." He set it aside and pulled out a couple more that he knew to be dead. After they went through the papers once, they had a total of twelve suspects. "Let's go over these again with what we know."

They discussed what was known about each suspect and one by one they ruled them out until finally, they were left with no one. Varian sighed. "That was productive," sarcasm dripped from his words.

"May I speak, Your Highness?" Varian turned to the goblin and nodded his head. "Are you sure those files are correct about the deceased? As you well know, there have been times we thought people dead, only to have them show up again."

Shaw raised an eyebrow. Rinzik had a point. Perhaps he was too quick to set those files aside. He picked them up again and looked them over. "This one is definately dead. Decapitated. And this one I killed myself." He went through them until he had three left that he could not confirm the deaths. "I'll send some scouts out to inquire if they are truly dead or not."

"Don't forget about pirate connections." Shaw glanced at Rinzik. "That juggernaut out there has pirates on it according the Thargold."

"I'll have Jackson go through all our files we have on pirates. See if we can't figure out who the captain is on the juggernaut."

Varian wasn't listening anymore. His mind had returned to the brief conversation with High Sorcerer Andromath about what he had discovered.

"Sire?"

The king turned, studying the assassin. "Have one of your most trusted men investigate something for me." Shaw didn't move or say anything. He merely waited for Varian to continue. "Some disturbing news came to me earlier. You've heard about the latest explosion going off in the Cathedral Square?" Shaw nodded. "There was a message in there telling the mages to stop creating portals."

"Nothing else?"

"No. But it's obvious what they plan. They'll blow up more buildings or something if we continue trying to get our people to safety." Varian slamed a fist into the table he was standing next to. "The explosion happened not too long after announcements went out that the portals were there. That can only mean one thing."

Shaw nodded gravely. "There's a traitor in Stormwind."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: I broke my laptop. :( So, updates are going to slow down a little until I can get a new laptop. Also, apologies for any spelling errors. I need to get that sorted out on my main computer when I have time.<em>


	12. Chapter 12

Kristie slowly rolled her head up as she woke up. She instantly regretted it as a sharp kink in her neck protested from having to hold the weight of her head all night. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was alone. Her eyes rested on the door across the room and wondered if Nelson was okay, or if he was even alive.

Last night Kristie could do nothing but sit and listen to Nelson's screams. After a couple of hours of the torture, the cries of pain had finally stopped. When the goblin had come out, Kristie watched him speak a few quiet words with Marisa before turning around. He looked directly at Kristie with a glint in his eyes that sent chills down her spine. For a moment, Kristie wondered if she were going to be next to enter that room. But the goblin merely smiled mysteriously before leaving.

She had then turned her attention to Marisa who had picked up a stylus and parchment and began writing something. Loathe as she had been to draw attention to herself, she needed to know if Nelson was okay. To this end, she had decided to take a more subservient position.

"Mistress?" Her throat had been dry and it took effort to speak. Marisa had slowly turned and looked at her. "May I see Nelson? ...Please?"

The woman had stood up and walked over to Kristie with a smirk on her face. "Now now, my pet." She had patted Kristie's head. "You don't need to worry your pretty little head about the likes of him anymore. We're going to have a busy day tomorrow. Go to sleep." Marisa had put a hand to Kristie's temple and she had fallen asleep.

The smell of food brought Kristie back to the present and she realized how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten since yesterday morning and her stomach growled in protest to the smell of the food. A minute later, Grixil entered carrying a tray with two plates of food on it. Her mouth automatically watered at the sight of the food. The goblin set the tray on a table near her as Markus entered walking over to Kristie. He picked her and the chair she was tied to up and set her in front of the table. Grixil then took the plates setting one in front of Kristie and one across the table. With her arms tied together and her torso tied to the back of the chair, she couldn't reach the food. She looked at Markus wondering if he was going to untie her.

He seemed to ignore her, but there was an amused smile on his face. Kristie had a feeling trying to appeal to him to untie her wouldn't work. She definitely didn't want to ask the goblin. So, she decided to ask Markus anyhow. "Can you please untie me from the chair so that I may eat?"

He slowly looked at her, the amused smile still on his face. "Nope."

The goblin spoke then. "Save yourself the trouble, Miss. He doesn't have the authority to release you."

Kristie eyed the goblin and her mind went immediately to Nelson. "Is Nelson okay? Please tell me."

The goblin grinned, showing most of his pointy teeth. "Do you want to go in that room and see for yourself?"

With the way the goblin spoke that last sentence, Kristie suddenly felt very wary about going in that room...especially with him. The goblin cackled at her hesitance and Markus spoke. "I don't think she likes you, Grixil."

"What? Not like my Grixil?" Marisa entered the room, putting a hand on the goblin's shoulder. "He's perfectly likeable, unlike some." She then took the seat across from Kristie and nonchalantly picked up her fork and began eating her breakfast. Kristie had never hated anyone in her life...until now. Her stomach growling, Kristie looked away, unable to watch the woman eat in front of her. "You show no respect to your mistress, Kristie. After all the trouble I went through having this special breakfast made for you." Marisa put a pout on her face, ignoring Kristie's glare. But Kristie had immediately caught on the fact that Marisa had actually used her name instead of calling her a pet.

"I can't seem to reach the food...Mistress." Kristie tried hard to keep her emotions in check.

"Dear me. So it seems." She glanced at the goblin. "Grixil, would you be a dear feed this poor starving creature? She seems to have taken a fancy with you."

Kristie's eyes grew wide and suddenly she didn't want to eat anything. Marisa was obviously toying with her. She'd been toying with her from the moment she had arrived and she had had enough. "What did my father ever do to you? Why are you doing this?"

Marisa narrowed her eyes and the slight madness Kristie usually saw in them seemed to be crystal clear and full of intelligence and hatred, a deadly combination. "Your father betrayed mine. He betrayed Edwin. He betrayed the Stonemason's Guild by accepting that job." Her voice was ice. "I'm going to expose him for the traitor he is. Not only will he blow up the city he helped build, he'll also be blamed for it's destruction, and perhaps a few lives. He'll spend the rest of his life in the stockades."

Kristie shook her head. "You can't do that! My father has only tried to do what was best."

"Don't give me your platitudes on what your father tried or tried not to do! MY father _died _for what he believed in!" Kristie suddenly wanted to back up as Marisa stood and came closer. "Had _your _father stood with us, maybe MY father wouldn't have died! Maybe we would have gotten through to the Nobles that what they did to us was wrong! But no! Your father betrayed us all and he's damn well going to pay for it!"

Kristie regretted asking the questions as the woman's steel gray eyes bore into hers. "I'm...sorry." She didn't know what else to say in response. Well, she did, but was not about to say anything that would make Marisa angrier.

The woman moved away and turned to Markus. "Now she's gone and done it. Bring me those two agents...the woman and the new one." She sat back down and continued with her breakfast, pausing only long enough to glance at Grixil. "Take her food away, will you? Give it to someone who'll appreciate it more."

**...**

Adam awoke the instant he heard the lock click open on the door. He quickly stood up and noted Maggie and Andro were up as well. Marshal Dughan sat up and watched as the door slowly opened. Guards aimed their pistols inside to keep the prisoners at bay. Another guard pushed in a tray of bread and a bucket full of water. There were no cups, jut a ladle. As soon as the food was delivered, the door shut quickly.

The prisoners rushed forward but Marshal Dughan stopped them. He counted how many loaves of bread there were, then looked up at Andro and Maggie, shaking his head. "There's fourteen of us and only ten loaves."

"Split them in half. Each person get's one half. Those of us who can handle less food will settle for only one half." Andro looked pointedly at Maggie, Adam, and Dughan. They distributed the food and each took turns drinking from the ladle.

As they ate, the agents and the marshal discussed Nelson. "For all we know they could have killed him." Dughan rubbed his head at the thought of the missing noble.

Maggie shook her head. "But what use would he be if they did that?"

Dughan could only shrug. They fell silent as each person tried to figure out just what exactly was going on.

Half an hour later, the door opened once more. A guard entered the doorway and pointed to Maggie and Adam. "You two! You're next." The two agents looked at each other and a silent agreement passed between them.

They moved into the hallway, as usual, keeping pistols aimed at the other prisoners. As Maggie and Adam passed the two guards holding the pistols, they attacked as one, disarming the guards. Andro and Dughan rushed forward, but one of the guards slammed the door shut and locked it before they could reach it. Adam and Maggie continued to fight the guards, taking down two more.

Adam turned to unlock the prison door when his whole body was suddenly assaulted with pain. Gritting his teeth, he reached for the lock. He saw a guard rush towards him and ducked out of the way. But the pain slowed him down too much and another guard was able to tackle him to the ground.

He quickly glanced to see if Maggie was faring any better. But to his surprise, she simply seemed to be trying to run off in fear. A couple of minutes later, both agents were bound and under control again. The pain Adam had felt earlier had dissipated by that time.

"It's a good thing I decided to tag along. My Lady would have been extremely displeased had these two escaped before she could have her fun with them." The shadowy form of a goblin walked forward and Adam finally understood his sudden pain and Maggie's odd show of fear. Shadow priests have those abilities...among others.

The guards pushed the two through the corridors until the shadow priest opened one of the doors and entered. As Adam entered, he threw a quick glance around the room and a small sense of relief filled him when he laid eyes on Kristie's surprised face. He gave barely a hint of a shake of his head and a look of warning for just an instant hoping she understood and wouldn't show any more signs of recognition. Kristie's eyes moved from Adam to a woman in black, to Maggie and finally to the floor where they stayed.

"Ahh...I told you I would focus my attention on you eventually." The woman that Adam assumed was Marisa walked over to Maggie, circling her with Kristie following. Adam saw the noose around Kristie's neck. He was seized by conflicting emotions as he was the rope burns on her neck. He felt furious that this woman had hurt her. But he also felt proud of Kristie for her fighting spirit. He knew the design of that type of noose was to punish those who resisted it.

"Where's Nelson?" Maggie wasn't about to play Marisa's game.

"I would be more concerned about yourself."

"Where's Nelson?" She repeated. Kristie glanced at the door at the back of the room. Maggie followed her gaze. "I want to see him." Marisa narrowed her eyes at Kristie and gave a yank on the rope.

Adam had to check himself. As much as he wanted to punch Marisa, he knew he had to play the stranger. He didn't want to take the chance of Marisa using either himself or Kristie against the other. As it turned out, it wasn't Kristie he had to worry about.

Marisa turned to him, ignoring Maggie's demand for now. "I'm curious. Why would an SI:7 agent admit who he was to a random bandit who'd just taken a number of people hostage?"

In his peripheral vision, he could see Kristie's head snap up and eyes widen for just a moment before she forced herself to look at the ground again. Adam kept himself from looking directly at her and shrugged in response. "Maybe I just wanted to see who the leader is."

"And risk getting killed on the spot? I don't think so." She purred as she raised a hand, patting him on the cheek. "I think you came in hopes of finding a certain someone."

Adam tried to keep his exterior self relaxed, but inside he froze. How could she have known? Very few people even knew of his connection to Kristie...including Maggie. He glanced in her direction. Could she have let something slip?

Marisa's gaze followed his to Maggie and she smiled. "I thought so. You were looking to rescue one of your own agents. We knew she had to be an agent. We just hadn't been able to confirm it...until now."

Adam's attention returned to Marisa as he realized his mistake...and hers. But this was an unexpected twist to the game he was forced to play.

"What's your name?" She watched him intently.

"Adam."

"Adam...what?"

"Just Adam."

Marisa turned around motioning for Markus to approach. When he did, she handed Kristie's leash to him and they both walked over to the other side of the room. "Don't be daft, Adam. I'm sure you know that both I and Grixil have ways of finding out whatever we want to know."

"I don't have one." When she gave him a doubtful look, he sighed and said with practiced ease, "I'm an orphan. I never knew my last name."

Marisa paused as she tried to determine whether he was lying or not, then shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose it really doesn't matter. You've only delayed your death to find out she's here." Marisa got a wicked glint in her eye. "But since you're here, we might as well entertain ourselves."

…

"Where did it come from?" Varian took the parchment and opened it up as the priest replied.

"We found it on the steps to the Cathedral this morning, addressed to the House of Nobles and you."

The king read the letter and motioned for one of his messengers to bring Mathias Shaw. As expected, there was a high sum requested to be put on a small rowboat and pushed out to the Defiant's Vengeance which he assumed was the juggernaut. The name of the ship only seemed to confirm that a former defias member is behind all of this. It also told them that they had to get the money there by noon. There was a postscript on the letter indicating that should the gold not be given, then another disaster would befall the city.

…

Beatrice swept the floor of the orphanage humming away. Normally, the orphans themselves did this work, but she still cleaned up once a week to make sure a more thorough job is done. With the main room finished, she walked back into the kitchen. It was fairly clean with just a few scraps of parchment on the floor.

She bent to pick them up and put them in the trash can when a word caught her eye. She fished it out of the can and looked closer. Danger? Next to it was the word, Evacuate. Now really curious, she picked up the rest of the papers and put them on the counter, rearranging them until the puzzle pieces fit and she read the note in full.

_Take this to SI:7 immediately!  
>Stormwind Keep in danger. Evacuate!<em>

Beatrice worried her lower lip as she tried to make sense of the note. What would it be doing in here? And is it serious? Or one of the jokes the orphan's liked to pull? It was torn up so that must mean it wasn't serious, right? Still, there _had_ been those three explosions. She drummed her fingers on the counter as she considered what she should do. Finally, she made up her mind to take the note to SI:7 and let them figure it out for themselves...after she finished the sweeping.

…

Kristie was still reeling from the news that Adam was an SI:7 agent. Why didn't he tell her before? She stood near Markus as she listened to Adam explain that he was an orphan and had no last name. For some reason, Kristie had her doubts about this revelation. She knew many of the orphans from the orphanage, even those who had grown up and made their own way in life. But that didn't mean he couldn't be one. Maybe that was why he had been so drawn to Amy from the get go.

Kristie took a moment to glance at everyone in the room. Adam and Maggie stood facing Marisa, their hands bound in front of them. When Marisa mentioned entertainment, she shuddered. What this woman finds entertaining, meant something cruel happens to someone, and Kristie became worried for Adam and Maggie. She wanted to warn them, but remembered how she was bound up in a chair the last time she showed concern. So she held her concerns in as best she could.

Marisa pulled out a dagger, and watched Maggie for a moment before walking over to her and cutting her bonds! Kristie expected Maggie to immediately spring into action, but she didn't. She stood there with almost a blank look on her face doing nothing. Then in another surprising move, Marisa gave her dagger to Maggie.

"Kill him."

Maggie moved with stiff motion closer to Adam who was suddenly very wary of the woman he had just recently been allies with. There was something odd about Maggie and Kristie glanced around the room until she stopped at Grixil. The goblin was standing still with half-lidded eyes and one hand held up near his shoulder. Growing up next to the Cathedral, Kristie had made many friends who were priests or priestesses. Some of them had mentioned to her about how they could temporarily take control of someone's mind and make them do their bidding.

She glanced at Adam again, in alarm. It was all he could do to keep an eye on both Maggie and Marisa. Yet as he did so, he spoke. "So, am I to face a couple of children looking to bully me?"

Marisa laughed at his comment. "Call me what you like, but we'll do more than bully you, Adam."

"Then release me from this rope so that I can defend myself." His body was already reacting with tense muscles and slightly bent knees. His brown eyes watched each woman, ready to dodge or strike when and where he could. Kristie couldn't help by compare him to a lithe cat, calm but ready to pounce.

"No, my dear Adam. I find this way much more entertaining." Marisa kept herself at a distance from Adam.

Kristie wanted to help him, but didn't know what she could do. She was no match for anyone in the room. A slow panic began to creep into her core.

"Then I guess I'll just have to chisel my way into your weak spot to defeat you!" He dodged a clunky attempt from Maggie's thrust with her dagger. The shadow priest was unused to her style of fighting, but he was quickly learning the ropes.

Kristie frowned for a moment at Adam's words. She watched him dodge Maggie then give her a fleeting, but pointed look and she realized that he wasn't talking to Marisa. He was talking to her! It all came at her in a flash and she forced herself to recall and sort out what he had said thus far. Children. Bully. Defend. Chisel. Weak Spot. A memory sprang to mind of her first encounter with him. She had gone after him, thinking he was hurting Amy. But he had easily defended himself by pulling her down and holding her arm behind her back.

After that, she had taken the defensive lessons, never really thinking she would ever need them. Kristie began to form a plan, starting with the first thing Adam had ever taught her.

Adam dodge Maggie again. He didn't want to attack back because he knew Maggie was not acting on her own. Still, he may have to rend her unconscious at least if he had the opportunity.

"You dance divinely, Adam. If you weren't SI:7, I may have just kept you around. But let's see how well you dance with feet made of ice!" She cast another spell and Adam found his feet suddenly encased in ice. He was now immobilized!

Kristie swallowed, fearful of failing her plan. But if Adam were to survive, she had to act now. She took a quick deep breath, then stepped slightly away from Markus. He saw her move as she knew he would and he gripped tighter on the leash, wrapping the rope once around his hand as she had seen him do before. This was what she hoped he would do. She raised her hands somewhat slowly, but casually and gasped, putting her hand in front of her face.

She had to do this to mask what she was really after, which was the rope. In what she hoped as an unexpected move, she grabbed the leash portion of the rope and pulled it towards her. This pulled Markus off balance and he came falling towards her. All she had to do now was lift her knee into his gut. She missed. But hit something else that was just as effective, if not more.

As he lay silently moaning in a fetal position, she reached down and grabbed the dagger she saw protruding from his boot. Marisa was across the room and would see her if she went after the mage. Grixil was closer and more vulnerable. Kristie felt a surge of adrenaline as she approached the shadow priest. The adrenaline gave her more strength than she thought she had. Could she knock him out? Did she have the strength? If she failed to render him unconscious, she knew she wouldn't get a second chance.

She glanced at Adam who was on the ground by this time trying his best to dodge Maggie's dagger. As she attacked again, he kicked up with both frozen feet and knocked the dagger out of her hand. Marisa looked about ready to cast something else at Adam as his back was turned to her. Kristie had no choice. She refused to think about what she was doing as she raised Markus' dagger and plunged it into the goblin's defenseless back.

Maggie was instantly free of the mind control and needed a moment to figure out what had happened. Marisa saw this and turned to see why Grixil had released her, then gave a wild scream at the sight of the dead goblin. A fire came into her eyes as she looked at Kristie's pale face. The fire matched the ball of flame forming in her hands. She didn't care anymore about controlling Baros. She didn't care about playing cruel tricks on the woman. She only wanted her dead!


	13. Chapter 13

Maggie blinked as she came to herself once more. The first thing she noticed was Adam on the floor. Then she saw Marisa forming a large fireball and getting to aim it at Kristie. More importantly, Marisa had turned her back on the female rogue. Maggie grinned as she quickly grabbed a chair that was next to her and smashed it across Marisa's back and head. The fireball vanished as Marisa fell to the floor unconscious.

Adam rolled over in search of Maggie's dagger as Markus recovered enough to stand up. With Marisa out of the picture, the ice around Adam's feet quickly melted away to nothing and Adam was able to stand up again after finding the dagger. He quickly moved towards Markus, but Maggie was already there aiming a roundhouse kick to Markus' head. The man fell backwards and didn't move again.

"You could have saved some of the fun for me, you know." Adam handed Maggie the dagger and she cut his bonds as she shrugged. "I had it covered." She glanced at Kristie who was still sitting near the goblin. "See to Kristie. I'll check on Nelson."

Kristie had never in her life thought she would kill another person. She wasn't a brave hero like many others. She was just plain ordinary Kristie. Yet, here she was with still warm blood on her hands. "I- I k-killed him." Her hands shook and she tried to wipe the blood off.

Strong arms wrapped around her as tears formed. "You had no choice." Adam's baritone spoke softly next to her ear. His hands worked at the rope around her wrists.

"I-I did. I mean-" she sniffed. "I could have knocked him out. I could have-"

"Don't, Kristie." He turned her to face him. Lifting her chin, he caught her hazel eyes with his own. "Don't do this to yourself. You did what you needed to do to save us." He lifted the noose from around her neck. "You saved our lives, Kristie."

He kissed her forehead and then took her hands, helping her up and noticing how wobbly her legs seemed. He tried to refocus her attention to the situation at hand. "We're not out of danger, yet. We still have to get out of here. Your parents are worried."

Kristie gave a numb nod of her head and suddenly remembered what Marisa had planned for her father. "Adam! My dad! I have to let him know I'm safe or he's going to blow up Stormwind!" She quickly related to him what Marisa had told her earlier, even pointing out Marisa's remote to detonate explosives. Adam walked over and grabbed it, turning it over twice before throwing it on the ground and smashing it. He then scattered the pieces before going back to Kristie.

As she finished, Maggie came over to them, bending down and rifling through Grixil's clothing until she found a key. She turned and looked towards the two. "I heard what you said from the other room. I'll unlock Nelson-" She held up her hand as Kristie was about to say something. "He's okay...just...weak." She continued on with what she was going to say. "We'll go back and free the other hostages. Once they're out of the cell, we'll make our way out of here no problem. Then you two race to Stormwind and stop Baros."

Maggie told Kristie and Adam to tie up Marisa and Markus while she freed Nelson, mainly because she didn't want Kristie to go into the room. The room itself had been very clean. Almost too clean. When she had first entered in search of the noble, she felt her skin crawl. The room was empty save for one chair, one simple desk, and the angled table Nelson had been locked to. From her first examination of the man, she could tell he had been tortured, even though his body bore no marks. There was physical torture and then there was mental torture. She wasn't sure which was worse. She didn't want to find out.

After using the key she found to unlock the half conscious Nelson, she slapped his face just hard enough to wake him up fully and encouraged him to come with her. After returning to the first room, the two paused as Kristie ran over to him asking if he was okay. Maggie didn't permit any more conversation, though. "We need to get going before those two wake up and sound the alarm. Here's what we're going to do." The plan called for Adam putting on the old red bandana that Markus still wore. It'll give the appearance that Adam was a former defias member, thus one of the guards. Hopefully, none of the other guards will recognize him if he kept his head down. They'll act as though they are returning the prisoners to the others.

As he grabbed the bandana, Adam spotted the rope that had been around Kristie's neck. He paused just long enough to pick it up and walk over to where Marisa lay. He then placed the rope over her own head and around her neck. He didn't pull it tight like he wanted to. But he left it there as a message to her all the same.

The group made their way into the corridor with Adam holding Markus' sword. Maggie kept herself stealthed and Kristie and Nelson were left to help support each other. Adam held Kristie's arm and occasionally gave her a gentle jerk when they passed another guard. This way he was also able to surreptitiously help keep her steady.

They arrived at the cell door and the two guards turned to open it, pulling out their pistols to aim at the hostages. One of them suddenly fell to the floor, a result of Maggie's quick action, and Adam quickly punched the other man in the throat, followed by an elbow to the side of the head. The second guard fell. Maggie appeared and grabbed the pistols as Adam unlocked the door. Glancing in, he put on a carefree smile and asked, "Anybody up for an escape?" The hostages immediately cheered and got to their feet. They now had a fighting force and should be able to make their way back upstairs to freedom.

…

High Sorcerer Andromath entered SI:7, annoyed by the summons, but curious at the same time. When he arrived at Mathias Shaw's office, he saw a few others standing there as well. Mathias introduced them. There was a dwarf shaman named Stagmight Gringold; a worgan druid named Celestine; and a priestess named Calenda Delgado. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

Mathias Shaw glanced at each person in the group as he spoke. "We're making another attempt to rescue the hostages on the juggernaut this morning. This time, I'm asking help from each of you." He explained his plan in detail and allowed time for questions. He answered their questions until they were all sure of their jobs. "We leave immediately."

"Now? I came prepared for a meeting, not a fight. I'll need to get some supplies."

"I'm sure my assistant had well prepared for what everyone here will need. If you don't go with us, I'm afraid you'll be asked to stay here and not leave until we return."

Andromath didn't like what the man implied. "Why?"

Shaw glanced at the mage, then at the others. "Because there is a traitor in Stormwind. We don't want to take the chance that he or she will warn those on the ship."

Although incensed that he may be implicated as a possible suspect, the mage understood Shaw's reasoning's and he protested no more. Instead, he checked the bag the assistant had given him. It indeed did have all he would need to do his part in this plan.

…

The group of hostages fought hard for their freedom. For every bandit they took out, another prisoner gained a weapon. They made their way to the stairs and fought more thugs in the house and out on the docks. A great cheer erupted when the bandit's turned tail and fled in defeat.

Maggie, Andro, and a guard who had been brought from the deadmines quickly went back in to the hideout to get Marisa and Markus so that they could bring the pair to justice. Adam and Marshal Dughan stayed up above with the rest to look for transportation back to Stormwind. One of the transport prison's was sitting there, but no one wanted to use it.

Adam looked around before putting two fingers to his mouth and giving a shrill whistle. Kristie covered her ears wondering why in the world he would do that. A moment later, she had her answer as a chestnut horse came galloping into the crowd right up to Adam. The rogue rubbed the horse's head with a grin. "Good boy, Indy." He turned to the marshal and pointed in the direction the horse had come from. "Check that way for more horses. They stole some from Goldshire."

As Dughan and a few others ran off, Andro and Maggie returned, grim-faced. "Marisa and Markus have disappeared. All we found were some singed ropes and the noose."

Kristie paled and glanced around as though she might find the woman lurking nearby. She felt Adam's hand on her elbow as he guided her to his horse. "She's lost and she knows it, Kristie. She won't come after us. But, we have to go now...Your father, remember?"

He helped her into the saddle and she automatically patted the stallion's neck. As she did so, she realized it was the same chestnut stallion th at Amy really liked. Amy. "Adam! Amy! She's still at that-"

"I know. We'll stop by on the-"

"You'll go straight to Stormwind. That's an order!" Maggie gave the two a no nonsense look. "Stormwind is more important right now."

Adam nodded, realizing his duty. Kristie still protested. "But-"

"I'll go after her, myself." Maggie gripped Kristie's hand to reassure her. "I promise."

"I'll help." Nelson had been quiet until now. He looked up at Kristie and she noticed there was something different about him. "I...owe it to her for getting her into the situation in the first place." Maggie nodded her head in agreement to his joining her as Adam climbed onto his horse behind Kristie. With a click of his tongue, the stallion took off.

…

"Sir?"

Rinzik looked up at the agent with some torn papers in his hand.

"A lady just brought this in. Thought you might want to take a look."

Rinzik held out his hand and took the papers. After a brief glimpse, he set them on a table and arranged them. The goblin stood back after reading it. "Who is the woman?"

"A volunteer at the orphanage. She said she was sweeping in the kitchen and found them on the floor. She was going to throw them away, but thought better of it and just brought it in."

Rinzik scratched his chin as he reread the noted. People had been gathering in the courtyard of the keep, fearing another explosion and thinking the keep to be the safest spot in the city. What if it wasn't? He had no choice but to check it out.

"Get her name and home information and thank her for her time." He dismissed the agent then set the papers down on Shaw's desk.

Exiting SI:7 headquarters with two agents, he made his way through Old Town and into the courtyard of Stormwind Keep. His eyes took a preliminary scan around the area and saw nothing out of the ordinary, as expected. _If_ something were to happen, evidence of it would be very well hidden.

"Tibert check inside the building. Stanoker, check the outside walls. I'll check the courtyard." Each agent went to their assigned area and began looking for who knew what. After half an hour, they met up at the base of the statue in the courtyard with nothing to show for their work thus far.

"Maybe it really was just an orphan's prank after all," Stanoker said.

Rinzik didn't acknowledge the comment. Something bothered him about the note. It was not written in a child's script. He wasn't ready to give up after only one short search.

Tibert spoke up this time. "Sir, the other explosions were a surprise. And they were well concealed."

Rinzik gave the man a look, giving him for now the benefit of the doubt that he was not a nitwit. "Obviously. If they were not, they would have been found before they could explode."

"And rogues are not found until they are ready to do some damage as well, are they not?"

The goblin was about to snap at him when he realized what the agent was trying to get at. "No. We hide ourselves through our ghosting ability. No one can see us unless they know what to look for. But we have no way to keep them from using their other senses..." He glanced around the courtyard again. "Search again! This time use your ears, nose, and hands!

They branched out back to their original assignments, looking for anything that might prove a danger. Rinzik's hands brushed the wall as he ignored the looks from the citizens in the courtyard. Nothing. Slowly he moved along the wall, his hands roaming up and down until his left hand brushed across something that wasn't there. He froze for a moment and stared at the spot, letting his eyes relax until he could see something seem to take shape on the wall. Slowly, he moved his hands to the spot and felt the device, tenderly probing to see if there was some sort of detonation or switch or anything that could tell him anything more about whatever this might be.

When he finished learning all he could by feel, he wondered how to remove the device. He had no idea what would happen, if he tried to pull it off. There was only one way to find out. He glanced around and judged what he had observed of the results of the first three explosions and decided that no one, save himself, was in range of how strong this one most likely will be.

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. With slow and precise motions, he took advantage of his good sense of hearing and used it to listen for anything that might indicate the item going off. It didn't move. He tightened his grip a little and pulled a little harder. It still didn't budge. He felt around again, and noticed one part move slightly. Taking a big risk, he pushed on it. A whiring noise sounded and he bolted away from the wall.

A few people across the courtyard looked at him like he was crazy. He turned back around to see that the device had not exploded. Rinzik let out a breath and slowly made his way to the wall. Now he was going to have to find it again. But as he thought that, he spotted out of the corner of his eye, something on the ground. He bent over and picked it up. It was the device he had been trying to remove from the wall. The goblin glanced back at the wall and saw four small holes where the thing had embedded it's claws.

As soon as it had been released from the wall, it's camouflage ability was disengaged. He now saw the button he had pushed to release it. The device was brilliantly made and he had to admit a small respect for the engineer who created it.

"Excuse me Mr. Rinzik." One of the royal guard approached. Rinzik glanced up at him, not recognizing the man. They most likely hadn't met. But all of the royal guard knew who he was. "I've had a few citizens complaining that you're doing something rather...odd. I'm sure it's related to SI:7, but I also must maintain the peace here."

Rinzik glanced back at the device and up at the guard. "If you want to keep the peace as well as keep this place safe, I would suggest you remove as many citizens from the keep as possible." He showed the guard the explosive. "The Keep is rigged to blow. I just found this one and I'm sure it's not the only one. Gather your guards and empty the keep immediately. I'll let King Varian and the nobles know as well."

The guard was surprised, but had no reason to doubt the goblin's word. Before he turned to go, the SI:7 second-in-command spoke again. "Oh, and see if you can find any guards who may have seen anyone hanging around the walls in the last few days."

The guards were precise, but not very informative, when it came to ushering the people out of Stormwind Keep. They didn't want them to panic and create more chaos. Kring Wrynn and the nobles were angry at the danger to their precious Keep, but they, too, abandoned the area. With everyone safely away, Rinzik ordered a team of SI:7 engineers and explosives experts to remove every single device.

As they did so, the royal guard he had spoken to earlier approached with a second guard. "Excuse me, sir. You asked for anyone who may have seen someone around the walls. Thompson here says he saw someone."

Rinzik looked at the guard, waiting for him to speak. "I, uh, didn't see anyone suspicious, sir. I only saw that old architect, Baros Alexston. He said he was checking for cracks and other things."

Some of the nobles were standing nearby and overheard the conversation. "The architect was responsible for this? Go arrest him immediately!" Baron Worthington looked angry and King Varian did not dissuade him. He was angry himself, though he felt more reserved on his judgment. Still, he did want to find out why the city architect had been there.

…

Quentin Bandor exited the captain's quarters and paused a moment to let his eyes adjust. He took a sip of his coffee as he observed the crew at work. After last night's foiled rescue attempt, he had reacted swiftly and mercilessly, leaving a bit of a mess to clean up this morning. He doubted, though, that SI:7 would learn their lesson. He fully expected another attempt...most likely when they try to deliver the gold.

He moved over to the unconscious paladin. He had to be more severely restrained last night after watching his fellow paladin get shot. Bandor left him there. Waking him up only meant unneeded trouble.

His last communique with Marisa gave him the information he needed to know. The gold...if sent...would be went on a small rowboat at noon. If it wasn't sent, he was to move the Defiant's Vengeance closer and blast as much as he could of the harbor and even the cathedral itself if he got close enough. She would also explode the Keep.

If the gold was sent, then he was to do basically the same thing. Only, he was to take the gold back to the Sea's Castle and let someone else handle the juggernaut. As for the hostages? They will remain on the juggernaut when it ram's into the harbor and fate will decide whether they live or die. Meanwhile, while Stormwind is trying to save the innocent, he'll be on his smaller and faster ship, sailing far out of reach. He would meet up with Marisa near the Cape of Stranglethorn Vale and they would divvy up the gold.

He took another look at the harbor and noticed the wind had picked up this morning. His coffee was getting cold so he tossed the rest of it out and started to head back to his cabin when he stopped and looked at the storm clouds coming in. He'd been at sea for many years and he had never seen clouds roll in so fast.

Quentin took a moment to watch the cloud, putting both hands on the rail. That's what kept him from falling overboard when winds as strong as a typhoon suddenly struck the ship. His hands automatically gripped the rail tighter and he saw a couple of his men fly over the side of the ship. With the huge blast of wind spent, lightening bolts began crashing down, hitting more of his crew.

Bandor narrowed his eyes. This was no natural storm. "Sound the alarm! We're under attack!" He had to admit, he had expected Shaw to try again with his rogues only. The man's answer to most situation's has almost always been 'stealth in and attack'. That's why he had failed last night. But it seems the SI:7 leader is learning.

Just as his crew took up arms, a portal opened and a mage appeared. He cast a frost nova spell, immediately freezing crew members around him to their spots. More crew members converged on the portal but they were knocked back by the shaman who had been next to step through the portal. A druid, Shaw, and his rogues were next. Bandor saw that this may be a losing battle this time. He gave the order to kill the hostages on deck and below. Another signal from him let his first mate know to activate the secondary traps. A rogue and the druid were suddenly wrapped up in nets. An electrical charge went through them, and both were stunned momentarily.

Bandor sent Marisa's thugs after the intruders while giving his own crew members the signal to be ready to retreat if they couldn't turn this around. Another rogue got trapped in an electrified net. But the druid shape shifted and escaped her. With rogues fighting the bandits and the shaman and druid shooting their spells, Quentin knew it was time to retreat. He gave the signal to the adept to create a portal. As she complied, Shaw had finally made his way to the captain. Quentin drew his sword. He was a good swordsman, but he knew his limit's. He also knew his advantages, one of which was a better knowledge of this ship than Shaw.

The two men's swords clashed again and again as Bandor slowly moved to the location he wanted. As soon as he had opportunity, he seized a tin can with sand in it and flung it at Shaw. The sand spread out and as hoped, it got into Shaw's eyes, temporarily blinding him. Bandor pressed his advantage and lunged to stab him. But Mathias had instinctively jumped back and to the side.

At that instant, Bandor felt a white hot pain hit his body and he stumbled back a step. Turning, he saw that the druid had just finished casting something at him. From the continued ticking of the pain through out his body, he assumed it was a spell called moonfire. Quentin glanced back at Shaw and saw that the man's eyes were tearing up and clearing out the sand in them. It was time to make his exit. The captain grabbed a loop of rope wrapping it around his wrist. The loop was tied into a long taunt rope. He used his sword to cut the rope and felt himself essentially catapulted to the opposite side of the ship where he let go of the rope.

Quentin paused long enough to see if Shaw would attempt to use the second rope to follow him. Mathias grabbed the rope and raised his sword, but paused as he glanced at Bandor, noting the captain's gaze. Shaw let go of the rope and lowered his sword. Bandor gave him a slight nod at Shaw's nearly belated wisdom. He put his sword up in front of his chest as a salute to his worthy opponent, then turned to quickly assess that most of his crew had gone through the portal. Quentin grabbed the adept's wrist and pulled her with him into the portal.

They emerged from the portal onto his ship, The Sea's Castle, the portal closing behind them. "Sir, I wasn't supposed to come. I was supposed to stay over there." The adept was confused why he had dragged her through the portal.

"Oh?" Quentin pulled out a remote from his pocket, his eyes remaining on the juggernaut sitting in the distance. "Then I guess you owe me." His thumb pressed the button and the juggernaut exploded.

The adept's face paled as she watched smoke billow from the ship. "Yeah. I guess I do." Her voice was just above a whisper. "You sure know how to go out with a bang." Captain Quentin Bandor allowed himself a rare smile as the Defiant's Vengeance began to sink.


	14. Chapter 14

Mathias Shaw felt like he was floating. He knew his eyes were closed, yet he had no desire to open them. Right in this moment he felt at peace, tranquil. Something wet touched his face. He calmly considered it as a distant ringing began to sound in his ears. Another drop of water, this time it was on his head. More crops of water came and he knew it was rain. The ringing got louder and another sound began to emerge. The sound was a voice. No. Voices...lot's of them. As the voices grew louder, he realized they were shouting.

"Find any survivors!"

"We're sinking!"

"Through the Portal! Everyone!"

"Help me! I'm stuck!"

"Keep healing!"

Pain. Mathias opened his eyes as the pain returned to him, the tranquility gone. The first thing he took notice of was the rain. Every drop that hit him seemed to make him feel better. The shaman. Gringold must be responsible.

He couldn't stop the moan that escaped his lips as he tried to sit up. He couldn't move. Shaw looked down and saw some heavy pieces of wood covering h is left arm and chest. There were some wooden splinter's sticking out of his skin here and there. He moved his right arm, ignoring the pain and tried to push the wood off, but it wouldn't budge. He needed help or else he was going to go down with the ship. Raising his right arm as high as he could for someone to see, he called out, "Jackson! Gringold! Somebody!" He wasn't sure if anyone could hear him over the screams of the others.

After what seemed like an eternity, a shadow crossed his face and a furry hand grabbed his raised one. Celestine's worgan face came into view. "I've found Shaw! He's alive!" Her gruff voice yelled to someone behind her. She moved to the wooden beams that trapped him, but she couldn't lift them. Mathias could hear someone else moving towards them as Celestine transformed into a large bear. Using the strength of the animal, the druid was able to push the beam off of him. Shaw took in a deep breath. He hadn't realized how constricted his chest was until that moment.

"By the light!" Jackson appeared in his line of vision, but he wasn't looking at Shaw's face. Mathias followed his gaze to his right arm and found out why he couldn't use it before. The arm was obviously broken in two places. Celestine had reverted to her worgan form and was now examining the arm. "This will take too long to heal. We have to get off the ship now. It's sinking fast!" She cast a quick rejuvenation spell on him, then with a short apology, she and Jackson picked him up.

Shaw saw only stars and black spots as pain jolted through his arm, shoulder, and chest. There was a bright flash and the cacophony of noise from the ship was replaced with the murmur of various voices speaking quietly to each other. The smoky air became clean and easier to breathe. He was set down and the pain eased enough that he could now see that he was inside the cathedral. Celestine now had time to more properly heal his wounds.

As the pain began to ease with the healing spells, Shaw looked to Jackson for some answers. "What happened?"

"Explosion, sir. The captain ported out with a number of his crew. The rest were left on the ship."

"Willing to kill his own people in order to escape." Shaw growled.

"It would appear so, sir."

"Any of them survive?"

"Yes sir. They are being questioned as we speak."

"How many are left on the ship?" Mathias winced as he felt the bones in his arm start to mend together.

"We were the last, sir. High Sorcerer Andromath took command after the explosion and you were nowhere to be found. He made the portal and immediately began ordering and shoving people through, regardless of citizen or pirate. The paladin's here in the cathedral took the pirates into custody. Celestine, myself, and Andromath stayed behind to look for you as long as we could."

"How many casualties?"

"Unknown, sir."

Mathias fell silent for a moment. "Got to the room where they pirates are and find out what you can. Come back and let me know if I don't join you first."

Jackson nodded and took off for a backroom, as Shaw glanced around the cathedral and saw more freed hostages than he had expected. Nearby lay a paladin with a priestess kneeling over him. Her body blocked his view of who the paladin was. Shaw tried to sit up, but Celestine wouldn't let him. Finally, he had to ask her which paladin lay there. "Lord Grayson."

Shaw closed his eyes. _May the Light guide your spirit Sir Bryan. And may your family find it in their hearts to forgive my mistake_.

…

Varian Wrynn snapped his head in the direction of the explosion. That came from the harbor! He knew that Shaw was making another attempt at rescuing the hostages this morning. Was this a result? Varian ran from the canal by the Dwarven District over the bridge and past the wedding gazebo behind the cathedral. He arrived between two buildings where he could see our into the harbor. A few people had arrived before him, but they moved so he could have an unobstructed view. Smoke and fire arose from the juggernaut and he could see that it was sinking. "Get some gryphon rider's out there to rescue any survivor's!" The bystander's could only watch as the gryphon's began to fly out to the ship.

"Sir! Your Highness!" Varian turned to see one of the city patroller's running towards him. "A portal has opened up inside the cathedral. Survivors from the juggernaut are coming through!"

Varian turned and made his way into the cathedral, Rinzik beside him. Once inside, they had to pause to decipher the cacophony of activity going on. Injured people lined the floor to the left while paladin's took pirate's into another room. People who were not injured or had minor wounds only roamed the rest of the large sanctuary of the cathedral along with the priests and paladin's who were trying to help and organize the chaos.

King Wrynn made his way through the crowd. Rinzik moved past him as he spotted Shaw on the floor being healed by a druid. Next to him, Varian saw Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker and the king knelt down. "Welcome back, Lord Grayson."

The dehydrated paladin looked up at his king. "Thanks, Sire. Ready to return to duty, sir." The man was in no condition to do so, and they both knew it. Varian smiled at Grayson's tenacity.

He put a hand on the man's arm. "In due time, Grayson. In due time." He then turned to Shaw. "What happened out there?"

Mathias related the events as best he could, but they were still missing information needed from the captured pirates. With determination, he waved off Celestine and stood up. His arm was well enough for now. He kept it close to him as Celestine quickly wrapped it in a sling. The bones may be healed, but they are still very fragile from the fresh heal. "Let's go see how they interrogations are going and if we can't hurry up the flow of information." Shaw gave a grim smile as the three of them headed towards the back room.

As soon as they had entered the room, Jackson approached to give his report. "Got a couple of them singing away without much encouragement. Seems the captain took his crew and left before the explosion, and the ones left on the sinking ship are none too happy about it."

"Who is the captain?" This was topmost on his mind right now.

"A high ranking Bloodsail Buccaneer named, Captain Quentin Bandor."

Shaw nodded his head and looked at King Wrynn. "I'm familiar with his name, though had never been face to face with him until today. This also pretty much tells us who is behind all of this." His mind was working overtime and hadn't realized he had dropped off in the middle of the conversation until Varian irritatingly prompted him. "Marisa du'Paige. I remember reading in her file that she had connections to the Bloodsail Buccaneers, more to the point, with Bandor."

He scratched his chin as he tried to recall as much from the file as he could. "Her father died in the riot and she joined VanCleef when he formed his brotherhood. She has a penchant for magic and cruelty, and working for Edwin gave her opportunity to do both. It was thought she had died, but apparently she survived. There's a good chance her associate, um...Gri? Grix? ...Not sure on the name... a shadow priest goblin, who was quite loyal to her, must have healed her."

Varian nodded his head. "And after both VanCleef's failed to do what she had expected, she took over the brotherhood...no...not just the brotherhood..but other bandits as well. I don't think the brotherhood was large enough to attempt a take over of Goldshire and try to claim the juggernaut from the deadmines. Do they know where she is? And where the other hostages are?"

Jackson shook his head. "They haven't said yet. Seems they are more loyal to her than to Bandor."

Varian nodded once. "Get that information as soon as possible. Those are the last hostages we need to free, I hope." Varian turned to Rinzik. "How long until those explosives are cleaned up?"

The goblin glanced at Shaw. He hadn't had a chance to tell him about the explosives. But if the king wanted a report, he better get it. "I'll go check on them and let you know." He walked away.

Mathias glanced at Varian. "I missed something. What happened?"

"Explosives were found on the walls of the Keep. Rinzik is having them removed." Varian gave Shaw a sidelong look. "A...suspect is being brought in for questioning."

"Who?"

"Baros Alexston."

"What!" Shaw gave Varian a surprised look. "Baros loves this city too much. He's not the type to put others in danger."

"Possibly. But he's the only suspect and he _will_ be questioned."

"I'll go-"

"You'll stay here." Varian gave Shaw a hard look and ignored the man's bristling. "I know you two are friends-"

"Not exactly..."

King Wrynn narrowed his eyes at being interrupted. "We'll get to the bottom of it once he's here."

Shaw didn't like this turn of events, but there was nothing he could do at the moment.

…

Baros looked out the upstairs window at all the activity in the courtyard of the cathedral. Although he couldn't see into the harbor from where he was, he had heard the explosion and wondered what was going on. Omar stood next to him and watched at three of Stormwind's guards approached the Alexston home. He knew they were coming for Baros. "Remember what I told you. Play your part well, and your family will be released. If not..." He fell silent, letting the implications speak for themselves.

The city architect turned towards his wife as a knock sounded at the door. Ignoring everything else, he walked over to Elenor and put his hand on hers. No words were spoken as he gazed into her eyes for a moment, then kissed her. He then straightened up and turned to go downstairs. Omar followed, ghosting himself. "We'll be watching you."

Baros swallowed, but did not respond as he finished his walk downstairs and opened the door. "Yes?"

"Mr. Alexston? You're to come with us to the cathedral. You're wanted for questioning by the House of Nobles and King Wrynn." They positioned themselves so that they were ready to either escort him as a willing participant, or force him to come along in cuffs if need be. Baros gave them no reason to use force. He only nodded his head and exited his home.

…

They had been silent for the ride thus far. Mostly because it was hard to have a discussion over the loud pounding of the horse's hooves. And they didn't want to draw attention to themselves just in case there were more bandits lurking in the forest. But now Adam had to slow Indy as they navigated up a steep hill.

Kristie's mind had been jumping from one thought to another the whole time. Right now, she was thinking about how they had to get back to Stormwind to keep her father from doing something he'll regret. She frowned. She was already regretting her own actions, though she knew she shouldn't. Kristie glanced at her hands. The blood was no longer there, yet she felt the need to wipe her hands anyhow. One hand came off the saddle horn and she wiped it on her pants.

Adam saw this and put the reigns in one hand, then used his other hand to cover hers. Squeezing gently but firmly. He knew he was going to have to sit down with her and help her work through what had happened. It obviously had impacted her harder than the first time he had killed someone. But there was no time to delve in to that subject right now. For now, he tried to get her mind off of it. "How about tomorrow, I take you and Amy on a picnic by Olivia's Pond?"

Kristie's eyes went to his hand covering hers and cleared her throat. "Maybe. Perhaps you can bring your horse. Amy saw him in the stables and he's been her favorite ever since. She's been wanting to ride him. What's his name again?" She heard him say the animal's name before, but couldn't recall it.

"Indy. Short for Independence."

"Independence?" She turned her head slightly to try to look at him, but didn't want to turn all the way around in fear of getting off balance. "Sounds like a story behind that name."

"Mm-hmm. I named him Independence because he gave me mine."

She raised an eyebrow, suddenly curious about this man and what he was seeking independence from. He had mentioned before that he had been an orphan. Was that it? But was he really an orphan? Or was he just avoiding Marisa's question? She decided to ask. "Were you really an orphan, Adam?"

There was silence behind her for a minute and she wondered if she shouldn't have asked. But he finally answered. "I'm an orphan by choice."

Choice? Who would _want_ to be an orphan? And how does one 'choose' to do so? Kristie wanted to ask him more but they were back on flat ground again and Indy was running once more. She removed her hand from his to hold onto the saddle horn. They steered far around Goldshire since they didn't know if the town was still held by the bandit's or not.

Once they had passed the town, Adam steered Indy back towards the main road with the thought that it should be safe now. After only ten minutes of riding, the road turned, and they got their first sight of the damaged gates of Stormind. Kristie gasped as Adam pulled Indy to a stop. There was rubble everywhere except for a thin path that had obviously been cleared.

"We're too late." Kristie could feel her eyes grow hot and watery as she thought her father had already done the what Marisa had wanted him to do.

"Maybe not." Adam had been focusing on the cleared path. "This couldn't have happened this morning. See that path? That takes time." There was something else bothering him about it.

"Then let's go!"

"Wait." Adam's eyes roamed the area. "Where are the guards?"

Kristie looked around and for the first time noticed the absence of any people whatsoever. "Hiding?"

"Let's find out." He urged his horse forward a few steps then raised his voice. "Ho! Stormwind! Anyone home?"

There was silence for a moment as Adam's voice echoed off the walls of the small valley between the two mountains. Then voices could be heard on the other side of the wall. A soldier appeared on the cleared path watching them, her hand on the pommel of her sword. "Who goes there?"

"Kristie Alexston and escort." Adam didn't feel like explaining who he was. Too many people knew he was SI:7 already.

"Kristie?" Another voice came from behind the wall and a moment later, Mason Goldgild appeared next to the guard. "By the Light! It _is_ you! Get over here, Lass." As Adam urged the stallion forward and into the narrow path, the dwarf kept talking. "Tis a good thing ye clled out. We were about ta blow all this debris out. How'd ye get past the guards down tha road?"

"We were riding in the woods and came to the main road just a little ways away from here." Adam glanced back down the road. "What's the word from Goldshire?"

"Safe. Twas a surprise hearin' of the attack. What were ye doin' out in tha forest anyhow?"

"Long story. Mason, we need to see my father right away. I promise to come back and tell you after we speak with Dad."

By this time they were in the Valley of Heroes where Foreman Wicks joined them. He and Goldgild exchanged looks. "He's not at home, Miss Alexston. He's been taken into the cathedral for questioning.

"Cathedral? Not the keep?"

Mason shook her head, emotion filling her face. "I canna believe tha' rumors ta be true, Miss Kristie. Mr. Alexston would not threaten tha citizen's of this city. He loves this place too much."

Kristie's face went pale. "We need to go to him now!" Adam agreed and urged the chestnut stallion to run fast towards the Cathedral Square.

…

Morgaine watched the two make their way through the narrow path of the demolished gates, stop to talk to some workers, then take off into the city. She didn't worry about being seen. After the SI:7 agents had stopped the attack from the mountain side, they didn't bother to keep anyone around to make sure no one came back. They were too sure of themselves. She turned and made her way around the mountain to a lone cabin near the small river that ran through it.

After entering, she pushed a wardrobe over and made her way down the hidden staircase that was very similar to the Dockmaster's. This one, though led only to a single room below the house. "As you predicted, she has arrived in Stormwind. Along with some guy with brown hair pulled into a ponytail.

"Adam? Interesting. The others will probably be returning soon as well. No matter. I got accomplished what I wanted for the most part. Stormwind Keep will have to wait for another time perhaps. But there is one thing left unfinished that I will take care of personally." Marisa turned to face Morgaine. "Markus has hidden himself among the crowd. I've cleaned him up and changed his look so he wouldn't be easily recognized. He'll stir up trouble if he finds opportunity." She leaned back in her chair and put her feet up on a table. "Leave me."

Morgaine wondered about the abrupt end of the conversation, but this _was_ Marisa. She had many moods that showed themselves at odd times it seems.

Marisa's mood indeed had soured. Her mind was far away. As far back as the Stormwind riot. At that time, she had been proud of her father for standing up for what he believed in. He knew what was going to happen and had told her to stay inside that night. But, of course, she didn't. She wanted to be out among the crowd, booing the nobles and watching some of the fights she knew were going to happen.

Even as a teenager, she had been eager to learn about magic. Her instructor had told her that she was a fast learner and was proud to teach her. That was, until he caught her one day using her frost spells to freeze a rat, let it go, and freeze it over and over again, just to toss in an arcane bolt to see how the rat would react. After that, he was more reluctant to teach her more until she promised not to do such things again. Marisa promised, but had not kept the promise, instead doing her experiments in secret.

The riot fights so far were not interesting enough. She saw some bloody noses and scratches. Harsh words were exchanged and some people were looting some of the abandoned shops. But it was in Old Town where the fights were of more interest to her. Here, the men and some women even were fighting more earnestly. They were out to seriously harm their opponents. That is, when the fights eventually broke out.

It was here that she had found her father, his face mere inches away from another man she didn't know. She couldn't hear what they were arguing about over the noise of the other rioters. It didn't matter. It looked like it was about to come to blows. Her father threw the first punch. The other man stumbled backwards blood coming out of his broken nose, but the crowd threw him back into the fray. He obviously had no fighting experience and her father made quick work of him. The rioters cheered him on, Marisa among them.

Fueled by anger, the cheering crowd, and alcohol, Francis du'Paige kicked the fallen man until another entered the cleared circle demanding he stop. Her father turned quickly on the young man. He was probably in his early twenties, brown hair, and what looked like some rich clothing, perhaps a noble? Or son of a noble? She'll never forget his face. The young man and her father struggled, locked in the heat of battle. But her father was either more experienced, or more tricky.

He kicked the younger man's feet from under him and proceeded to kick him, but the man rolled over and over away from the kicking feet. He got up and the two continued the fight. The crowd seemed quite pleased at this fight and cheered one or the other on. Many didn't care. They were drunk and just wanted to watch a good fight.

A crash and a wagon carrying some crates broke apart. Francis grabbed a wooden board and swung it at his opponent. The man dodged it and quickly grabbed his own board just in time to parry du'Paige's thrust. The two fighters went on another minute fighting as though the wood planks were swords. Francis got in a few good hits to the man and was dodging the other's swings confidently.

Marisa recalled with vivid clarity what happened next. Her father had just landed a blow on the young man's left side when the brown-haired man swung to defend himself. It was a lucky blow, not of skill at all. His wooden board slammed into the right side of her father's head. Francis du'Paige froze with a shocked look on his face, then slowly lost control of his limbs, blood flowing from an open wound. Her father fell over and Marisa let out a scream as she had never let out before.

She rushed to his side, but it was too late. Burning hatred began to fill her steel-grey eyes as she looked at the man who had just killed her father. She didn't care that he had a shocked look on his face. She didn't care that he was claiming that he didn't know there was a nail sticking out of the board. She didn't care about anything at that moment but getting her revenge. A quick frost nova spell made sure he would not be able to run away as she began to cast a pyroblast that would incinerate him.

But she did not get the killing blow as another yell filled the air. Before she could finish her cast, another man came barreling in, knocking her father's killer backwards to the ground. She cut off her fire spell as she recognized the form of her father`s good friend, Edwin VanCleef. The man was almost as angry as she had been and was obviously a better skilled fighter than the killer. In just a few seconds, the man who had killed her father was dead.

Edwin paused to make sure there was no one looking to avenge the man he killed, then turned to Francis` body. He closed the man`s eyes and looked at Marisa and held out his hand to her. She took it and they stood up just as a cry came out from the crowd. At first it was hard to understand, but soon the message burned through the whole crowd. Queen Tiffin was dead. Some mourned for their fallen queen, others ran. VanCleef pulled Marisa as he ran through the streets of Old Town, into the Trade District, through the Valley of Heroes, and out of the city. They and others kept going until they paused to rest near Mirror Lake.

There was silence among the many rioters who fled until Edwin spoke to Marisa. "Your father died for a good cause, Marisa." He looked up at the crowd around him. "Many good people died for what they believed in. But we gave as good as we got!" A few of the men cheered, but many had been disheartened from the need to retreat and still not getting what they wanted from the House of Nobles. Sensing this, he encouraged them farther. "We're not defeated yet! We _will_ get our payment from them one way or another, especially if we stick together."

He glanced down at Marisa who looked back at him with growing admiration. He took her hand and pulled her near as he spoke again. "You are hurting from betrayal and loss of loved ones. I say take that hurt and anger and focus it on Stormwind. Let them know we won't go quietly. We'll be like a thorn in their sides, striking when and where we can to keep reminding them what they have done to us." It seemed as if he were talking only to her, but she knew he was still speaking to the crowd who were now more enthusiastic and cheering him on. "We have each other. We're a band of brothers and sisters, fighting for what we know is right! And until we get what we are due, we will remain defiant to the House of Nobles and Stormwind!"

A cheer arose from everyone at his speech and Marisa had been the loudest of them all. Edwin led the newly formed Defias Brotherhood to Westfall where they took over the Deadmines and began work on the huge juggernaut which Edwin had planned to use to stop trade coming into Stormwind Harbor. For her part, she began training her own adepts in the art of magic. She was very loyal to Edwin, perhaps the only one she ever had been loyal to, until one day when he approached her. "Marisa, I want to introduce you to someone." With him was a goblin in a simple grey robe. "This is Grixil. I have a feeling you two will get along fine. Look after each other." He then left them alone.

At first, Marisa was indifferent to him. There seemed to be nothing special about him that would interest her. Then one day, she saw standing off to the side, holding a hand up and seemingly doing nothing. But one of the workers nearby was awkwardly moving towards another and began to pick a fight. Marisa watched this scene slightly amused as she realized that the first worker was being mind controlled by the goblin, whom she knew to be a shadow priest. After awhile, the mind control was suddenly dropped and the worker looked confused at why he had been fighting. Neither worker had noticed Grixil.

Marisa approached him and in a quiet voice asked, "Why did you do that?"

The goblin merely shrugged. "I was bored."

At that point, Marisa knew why Edwin thought she and Grixil could be friends. He had a penchant for being just as cruel as she could be. They were kindred souls.

When Marisa came out of her reverie, she found her face wet from tears. She hadn't cried since her father had died. Even when Edwin was killed, she didn't cry. But the loss of Grixil was almost too much for her hardened emotions. First her father, then Edwin, and now Grixil. Dead. And she was all alone now. Marisa stood up, picked up the chair, and slammed it against the wall in full rage. She no longer cared about destroying Stormwind. From now on her only focus will be on destroying the one who took the last of her family from her.

"You will pay for what you did, Kristie Alexston...slowly, and painfully."


	15. Chapter 15

Amy lifted another dish and scrubbed the food off with the soapy cloth. After inspecting it to make sure it was clean, she rinsed it and put it on the counter to wait for when she was ready to dry the dishes. She paused to rub the back of her hand across her forehead. She had been put to work right away in this kitchen and hadn't stopped until late last night. Then early this morning she had been rudely woken to start work again. She barely got a break to feed herself some cold leftovers for dinner last night and some dry toast this morning. If she ever went back to the orphanage, she swore she would never complain about doing chores again.

After all the dishes were washed, she climbed off the step stool that let her be able to reach into the sink and then pushed it over so she could start drying the dishes. Amy climbed up the step stool and grabbed the towel to start drying.

Cook entered the kitchen, bringing a large bag of flour and setting it on the floor. "Ain't ya finished with those dishes yet? I got lots of other chores for you, Kid."

Amy glared at the cook, but had learned quickly not to backtalk to the woman. "Almost done." Amy set the dish aside and picked up another wet one. But it slipped through her fingers, falling with a crash to the ground. Amy paled and immediately jumped off the step stool to run away from the beating she knew the cook was going to give her for the accident. She slipped behind a rack holding various brooms and mops, keeping it between herself and Cook. "I'm sorry!"

"I'll give you something to be sorry about, you little brat!" Cook pushed the rack out of the way and raised her fat arm to slap the child, then froze as she felt something sharp press against her neck and a bodiless voice speaking in her ear.

"The only reason you're not dead right now is because I don't want the child to witness your murder."

Cook paled and began to perspire. She slowly lowered her hand. "We don't have no gold in here, if you're looking for it."

"I don't care about gold."

Cook felt a hand push her in the direction of the pantry and wondered what this thief wanted. Food? "What do you want? You want some food? I can get you that. We have lots of it. I mean, really, I'm in charge of that...or I can tell you where some gold is-"

"Shut up already!" She was shoved into the pantry and locked inside. Maggie unstealthed and turned to look at a frightened Amy. "It's okay, Amy. I'm a friend of Adam and Kristie. I'm taking you home."

Amy jumped out of the corner and ran to Maggie, giving her a big hug. "Why didn't they come themselves?"

Maggie was a bit shocked at the hug, but quickly recovered and gave her a squeeze before leading her to the kitchen door. "They wanted to, but it was important they go back to Stormwind to possibly save a bunch of other people." They exited the mansion and she guided the girl to the gate where Nelson stood with two horses.

As soon as Amy saw him, she dug in her heels and pouted. "I don't wanna ride with him!"

Maggie glanced at the noble and then at Amy. "I understand why you don't want to, Amy. But we need to leave fast before the guards are alerted and come after us. Besides, I think Nelson is sorry for inadvertently putting you in danger."

Nelson nodded his head. "That's why I came. I had no idea the baron would do what he did, Amy."

Amy looked dubious, but got on Maggie's horse and the trio took off for Stormwind.

**...**

Mathias Shaw waited against the wall at the back of the room as Baros was brought in. He still refused to believe that this man was in any way responsible for the problems Stormwind has been facing, especially since it involved his precious walls and buildings.

Yet, the man that came down the aisle looked defeated and older than his forty-three years suggested. His shoulders were slumped over and his head was down. He was all alone and... Shaw glanced around. Where _were_ his wife and daughter? He knew the family well enough to know they would be his staunchest supporters. Did their absence mean they believed Baros to be guilty? It certainly looked that way.

Rinzik appeared beside him. "Sir, the explosives are almost all gone. There's another team going back through to make sure we didn't miss any." His voice was a whisper.

"How did you find out about them?" Rinzik told him about the note that was found in the orphanage kitchen. Shaw began to get an inkling of what had been going on. Perhaps Kristie and Elenor's absence meant something else. Like they had no choice. He let out a curse and called himself a fool before quickly making for the exit. With some confusion, Rinzik debated whether he should follow or not, then decided to stay as Shaw did not request his help. Instead, he considered tactics of delaying this meeting if he thought it needed to be.

Shaw made his way out of the cathedral and off to the side before ghosting himself and making his way to the Alexston's home. After looking in a window to make sure no one was in the front room, he picked the lock and silently entered the building. There was no one around. The place seemed empty. Was he wrong in his assumption?

Mathias glanced at the stairs and made his way up the steps slowly, listening for any sounds of movement. A quiet voice could be heard, but he couldn't quite make out what was said. But one thing was sure, it was a male voice. Shaw edged closer until he could see movement in one of the rooms at the end of the hall.

"...and you're in a losing battle."

"Don't think yourself saved, Missy. What happens to you and your family is separate from the main plan. She has other ideas for you three."

"I knew she wouldn't keep her word! Who can trust the word of a common thug?" Her voice dripped with disdain.

The man was suddenly behind her chair, his dagger at her throat. "Thugs we may be, but I am not common. Omar and I are sought out for our abilities, and realize one thing, lady...The only reason I haven't slit your throat is because I want the rest of my payment. If at anytime I decide this job is not worth that payment I won't hesitate to finish this!"

Elenor paled and fell silent. Terrell grinned smugly and removed his dagger. He moved back around to face her once again. Staring her down and making her squirm. Elenor suddenly stopped squirming and looked at him with a wicked grin. "I think you'll get what you deserve, Terrell. Sooner than you think."

Terrell was immediately on guard, but it was too late as Shaw thrust his short sword into the man's side, giving him a wound, but not one to kill him. The poison on his blade will knock him out long enough to tie him up. Shaw wanted him alive for questioning, or else the man would be dead already.

Terrell reacted quickly, swinging his elbow back and hitting Shaw's left arm with a lucky shot. Mathias winced in pain as the thug turned around and nearly laughed at the injured man attempting to attack him. "What a joke!" He lifted his dagger with one hand and the other he gestured for his attacker to come at him.

Shaw merely grinned. "Joke's on you, Terrell." He dodged Terrell's jab, ignoring the throbbing in his arm. It couldn't be broken again from that hit, could it?

The man felt himself weakening and realized there must have been poison on the blade. He used the only leverage he knew he had left. "You may have rescued this one, but the daughter is still ours and not here. You...have...just...d-" Terrell fell down unconscious.

Shaw quickly moved to Elenor and used his sword to cut through her bonds. "Took you long enough to get here, Mr. Shaw." She stood, then sat down quickly. Having been tied up since yesterday, her muscles had grown accustomed to just one position.

Mathias held out his right arm to help her up. "I had other things on my mind, Mrs. Alexston. Come on. Let's get you to-"

"Mathias, wait." She looked at him steadily as she leaned into him for support. "Kristie is in danger still. There's another one watching Baros. If I show up...I- I don't know what will happen."

Shaw looked down at her. "Everything is falling apart for their plans." He hesitated then asked, "Did Baros plant those explosives?" Elenor nodded slowly. "To keep you and Kristie safe." Again she nodded even though he had made a statement instead of a question.

Mathias fell silent as he considered the situation and their options. His eyes fell on the unconscious man on the floor. "Do you have enough strength to tie him up?" Elenor nodded and began to do so with bits of rope that had been used on her. "When you're done, throw your cloak on and cover your head. We'll head over there and play it by ear, deal?"

She finished her job and stood up carefully. "Deal only if you get your arm looked at once we reach the cathedral. What happened to it?"

"Deal. I'll tell you on the way. Let's go."

**...**

Kristie dismounted and turned to look at Adam, noticing his apprehensiveness. If he was nervous, then things could be worse than she had thought. She wanted to calm him somehow, though she wasn't sure why she needed to. Without thought, she leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, for everything, Adam."

The look in his eyes was intense for a fleeting moment before he blinked and reached up to gently stroke her cheek with his knuckles. "You can thank me later after this is all finished." They ascended the cathedral's stairs and entered the grand building. Glancing around, they saw neither her father nor any of the nobles.

The main hall of the building was filled with injured people and healers tending to them. There were a few others milling about. They looked like they had been in some sort of fight or something else she didn't want to think of. She spotted High Priestess Laurena and stepped up to her. "Excuse me, I'm looking for my father, I was told-"

"In the back room, dear. I'll see to it you can enter." The woman quickly turned and led them to another room with guards on each side of the door inside and out. They paused at the doorway as the priestess told the guards who Kristie was. She could see her father standing in front of King Wrynn and a number of nobles. There were three guards surrounding him.

Kristie gave Adam a quick glance as the guards moved aside. Kristie and Adam entered the room as someone spoke to her father. "Are you going to answer any questions? Or are we going to have to use more forceful means to extract the information we want?"

She recognized that voice, and anger filled her being. She would never forget that voice. Kristie burst forward daring to speak without permission in what seemed to be an impromptu trial. "How about _you_ answering some of _my_ questions, Baron Worthington!"

A murmur of surprised whisperings accompanied her walk down the aisle as the baron finally came into her view. His face had paled slightly, but he kept a hard mask on his expressions. "Miss Alexston. I do believe your presence was not requested."

Kristie paused only long enough to give a quick curtsey to King Wrynn and ignoring the baron's comment for now. "Forgive my interruption, Your Highness. But I-"

"Kristie, no!" She turned around, surprised at her father's reprimand. She approached him, seeing the relieved look in his face that she was safe. The two embraced and her father gave her a serious look as he spoke again. "It was rude of you to interrupt, Daughter. Your _mother_ would be disappointed if she were here. Now be quiet and wait here."

She knew what he was trying to tell her. He was worried about her mother and that she was still in danger. She and Adam had forgotten that her mother was still in danger. "I'm sorry Dad. But-."

"Do as I tell you, child!"

Kristie fell silent. He rarely raised his voice to her. She threw a glance at where she thought Adam was, but found he had not followed her. Instead he remained almost half concealed behind a spectator near the entrance to the room. She saw the apprehensiveness on his face again and wondered why he was way back there instead of helping her.

"Perhaps we should remove this girl if she is going to continue to stall our proceedings." Kristie's eyes snapped at the baron, smoldering fury behind her hazel irises. He stood there so smug and sure of himself. He made a gesture and some of his personal guards stepped forward. Sudden fear crossed her face at the thought of being taken away by anyone working for the baron. She took an unconscious step closer to her father.

"Your Highness." Rinzik spoke up finally as he began to realize why Shaw had disappeared. He had been watching this girl since she appeared and took notice of the rope burn marks on her neck and wrists. There was obvious concern for the mother, whom he assumed Shaw had gone after. He needed to stall and give the man time to return her here. "You wanted a report on the explosives. They have been removed and a final sweep is being done to make sure none were missed."

"And yet another interruption, Your Highness. Surely this news could have waited until these proceedings were finished." Baron Worthington appealed to the king. "Might I suggest in order to keep on track here, we either ask everyone to leave or insist that only the House of Nobles and yourself, of course, be allowed to speak unless spoken to."

Varian Wrynn had been standing there observing everything going on. This certainly was not another one of those boring meetings he usually had to attend. Still, there were reasons for certain protocol's. Something certainly was going on and he had a feeling this girl knew something...or she could just be defending her father. Whichever it was, it will come out but only if they were able to ask their questions.

"Everyone stays." He pointed to Kristie and the noble's personal guards getting ready to take her away. "Including Miss Alexston." The guards stopped, gave a glance at the baron, then backed away, unwilling to go against the king's order. "And as Worthington said, no more interruptions. Only the House of Nobles may speak." He gave Rinzik and others a hard look. "Then if we continue to get interrupted, we'll simply remove everyone who has no connection to these proceedings."

Baron Worthington returned his attention to Baros and decided to get straight to the point. "Did you or did you not place those explosives in the keep?"

Baros looked down at the stone floor. "I did."

Worthington grinned in triumph. He opened his mouth to ask another question when to his surprise, he was interrupted yet again.

"Why?" Heads turned to a brown-haired man standing in the aisle dressed in rogue's clothing. "Why don't you tell them how you had no choice, Mr. Alexston." The man may have spoken to Baros, but he was looking directly at the baron with a defiant look on his face.

Bracen Worthington bristled. "You defy the king's order! Guards! Arrest him!"

"I have not!" Adam seethed at the man and saw the sneer on the man's face.

"King Varian himself ordered only nobles may speak here unless spoken to. And you had _not_ been addressed."

"Then allow me to introduce myself, Baron. I am Adam Boxley, son of Lord Aron Boxley. And I have every right to speak!" Adam had sworn he would never speak or acknowledge that name again. Doing so even now grated on him.

Heads turned and the crowd parted a little as Lord Aron himself came forward to see this man who claimed to be his son. His face paled at the look Adam gave him. The two had not gazed upon each other for many years. But he saw the boy in the man before him. Lord Aron nodded his head once. "This is my son."

It was obviously not a warm reception for either man. Anyone who looked at them could tell there was a huge wall of animosity between them. Adam didn't care what they thought. The only reason he had drudged up this part of him was for the sake of the Alexston's. He couldn't let Baros sit in prison when he could prevent it just by speaking up.

Bracen had to frantically search his mind on what he knew of the Boxley family. Aron Boxley had two sons. One had died and the other...Baron Worthington smiled as he took hold of this information and went with it. "So the prodigal has returned then." Bracen moved forward as his eyes bore into the young man. "As I recall, you had two son's, Lord Boxley." He began to circle around Adam. "As this one is very much alive, we'll have to assume Adam is the one to run away and join the Defias Brotherhood!" He turned to King Wrynn. "This man has nothing to say that can be trustworthy, Your Highness."

"Whatever rumors about me you may have heard, Baron Worthington, I can assure you, that one is very false!" Adam's voice was steele, his brown eyes cold and hard.

Instead of being put off my Adam's denial, Worthington's triumphant eyes challenged him as he pointed to the red bandana Adam still wore from their escape. "Then why do you wear the mark of the Brotherhood?"

Adam growled out his words as he tried hard to keep his temper. "Because I needed this as a disguise in order to escape-"

"A likely story!" Baron Worthington cut him off before he could say more.

"One I would be inclined to believe." Once again, everyone turned their heads to the back of the room where Shaw stood with a hooded person next to him. "After all, he _is_ one of my agents." He made his way forward, escorting the hooded person to the front. When they reached Baros and Kristie, he smiled and removed the hood.

"Mother!" There was a rush of movement and relief as all three Alexstons were reunited. Rinzik even smiled at the sight, but after one quick glance at Adam, he silently moved to a position behind the baron.

"I've had enough! Will someone please explain what is going on?" King Wrynn, while appreciative of this obviously being a reunion of sorts for the family, still needed to get some vital information.

Kristie took this request as permission to speak. She shot a hateful, but triumphant look at Baron Worthington. "Your Highness, Nelson Chantly, myself, and an orphan we were entertaining for the day were taken against our wills by Baron Worthington, then sent to be held by Marisa du'Paige."

"A lie. I never saw this woman before!" Worthington spat back at her. "She's just trying to distract you from the real troublemaker here, her father...the one who admittedly planted those explosives!"

"Not a lie! I can confirm her words!" Nelson Chantly, Maggie, and Amy made their way down the aisle and now Baron Worthington visibly paled. Amy ran to Adam and a big smile spread across his face as he picked her up and spun her around. He then set her down and it was Kristie's turn to give her a hug as Adam continued their story.

"I was a part of the hostages taken in Goldshire-"

"There was no Adam Boxley or Kristie Alexston named in the list of hostages." Worthington tried to discredit him once more.

"That's because he didn't give his real name." It was Shaw who spoke up this time. "If you look, there is an Adam Alexston on the list. I picked up on it right away, but unfortunately, it took me awhile to figure out what it meant. I had assigned Adam to keep an eye on the Alexston family. He knew I knew the family well enough to know they did not have anyone named Adam in their family."

Adam continued. "Marisa du'Paige has...an unhealthy obsession with hating the Alexston family, particularly Baros, for taking the city architect job. Kristie's name was probably left off because she didn't want anyone figuring out she was controlling Mr. Alexston through his daughter. In her deranged logic, Baros helped build this city, so she figured she would force him to help tear it down."

"To that end, Mrs. Alexston has been used against him as well. I've just come from the Alexston home, freeing her from Terrell Grubner, a known criminal. His brother is either hanging around here in secret, or run off already."

Varian held up his hand for them to stop as he absorbed the information thus far. There were still a couple of questions he had. "How did you escape and do you know where all the other hostages are?"

"They are freed, sir." He glanced at Kristie. "And you have Kristie to thank for that. If she hadn't-"

"Adam!" All eyes turned to Kristie who only glanced down at Amy briefly before speaking again. "I didn't do anything much."

Adam understood that Kristie didn't want Amy knowing she had stabbed the goblin. "If Kristie hadn't taken action..." He paused to see if she approved of that sentence. At her nod, he continued. "...then we may not be here now."

When everyone had looked at Kristie, Baron Worthington decided he would try to make a quick exit. He found his way blocked by Rinzik. The goblin grinned wickedly, showing all his pointed teeth. A slow shake of his head told the man that he wasn't going anywhere. Bracen pretended he was just adjusting his stance and gave the goblin a quick smile before looking back at the Alexton family.

His hand rested on the pommel of the dagger he always carried on him as his eyes fell downwards to the orphan. They had entered his home and retrieved her. It felt as though all the plans were falling apart, and he was caught in the middle. How did it come to this? Why had he agreed to be involved at all? But he knew why. He would do anything his mistress asked of him. Why he followed her every whim, he wasn't sure. It didn't matter. Perhaps he could get away and be with her again. Yes. That's what he'll do. And he'll bring her a gift. The child. He'll take the child as insurance for getting away and then give her to Marisa.

He took a step forward and then another. Just a few more inches and he'll be in reach of the child. The ringing sound of a sword being unsheathed was heard just before he felt the flat of the sword press against his chest. This was not the goblin's sword. Nor was it just any ordinary sword. It was Shalamayne, King Wrynn's famous sword.

"Baron Worthington, I think I have enough answers for now. But I still have some questions that I have a feeling you will be able to answer. For now, perhaps you'll be so kind as to wait for me...in the stockade." Varian's voice was congenial with an underlying tone of steel.

The unmistakeable sound of plate boots on stone approached and Baron Worthington knew the royal guard were coming to arrest him. He raised his hands to let Rinzik take his dagger as his eyes fell on Kristie's angry gaze. He returned the anger as he spat out, "Satisfied?"

She took a step towards him and slapped him hard. The royal guards reached out to take the baron's arms so that he couldn't retaliate. "Now I am." She no longer regarded him as she turned to take Amy's hand and glancing at King Wrynn. "Can we go home now, Your Highness?"

Varian's gaze went from her to Baros and back again as he reviewed what had been said thus far. As the baron was taken away, he sighed. "Young lady, from what I've heard, your family deserves some well deserved time together, so I will allow it for now."

Kristie was about to thank him and turn to leave, but she hesitated as it seemed that the king was not finished. She looked at him questioningly. "There is still the matter of your father putting everyone within Stormwind Keep in danger." He held up his hand to stop her protest. "I understand his reasoning's, but I just cannot overlook what he had done." Varian's blue eyes turned to Baros. "You will remain under house arrest until I've finished reviewing the reports and questioning witnesses. After that, you will be brought before me and I will decide on the consequences of your actions."

Varian pointed to Shaw. "And because you're so fond of the family, SI:7 can guard him." The king paused before turning to leave. He truly did understand that Baros did what he had to do to keep his family safe. But Varian didn't have the luxury of overlooking the danger the man had allowed. He was the king and his first priority was the safety of his people. Yet, he didn't want to mete out punishment without knowing all the facts. The best he could do for now was the house arrest.

He sheathed Shalamayne and looked at the man named Adam Boxley. "I expect a full report by tomorrow morning." At the man's nod, Varian glanced at Lord Aron Boxley. The son had not even looked at his father since that one acknowledgment of relation. But it seemed as though the elder wished to speak to the son.

Varian Wrynn opted not to dwell on it for now. Instead, he turned to leave, but felt a small hand grab his gloved one and looked down to see the orphan girl holding his hand. She looked up at him with her big brown eyes. The king glanced around before looking down at her again, then kneeling down so that he was eye to eye with her. "What's your name?"

"Amy Masters. I wanna thank you for-" She blinked as she noticed the scar on his face and impulsively raised her hand almost touching it, but stopping herself. "Oooh...Does that hurt?"

"Amy!" Kristie admonished and began to move forward to collect the girl but Varian raised his hand to stop her.

"No. It doesn't. It's just a scar. Do those freckles hurt?" At her giggle and shaking head, he gave a smile and redirected the topic back to what she was going to say. "You wanted to thank me?"

Amy nodded her head. "Uh-huh. For sending that big bully away."

Amusement lighted Varian's eyes as he mussed her brown hair. "That's my job." He then stood up and cleared his throat, giving the onlookers a more serious look as to remind them they have other things to do than stand around. He then left the room.

The crowd dissipated after that and soon there was only Shaw, Rinzik, the Alexston's, Maggie, Amy, and Adam left. Adam's father was the last to leave. He had tried to approach his son, but Adam gave him a fierce glare, warning him away. Kristie didn't miss this and a part of her wanted to ask about it. But she was also angry at him for lying to her. He was a noble's son?

Nelson left with his father, but not before telling Kristie that he wanted to talk to her the next day.

The group left to return Amy to the orphanage. Kristie had wanted to keep the girl with them, but saw the wisdom in returning her. It probably wasn't a good idea for her to be around with Baros under house arrest. As they walked, Maggie told Shaw that as soon as she, Nelson, and Amy had arrived in Stormwind, she had informed General Marcus Jonathan about the returning hostages. Marcus had quickly sent Major Mattingly with a contingent after the citizens to escort them safely home.

After Amy was dropped off at the orphanage, they all made their way to the Alexston home as Shaw noticed how weak Kristie was beginning to look. When was the last time she ate? Then again, Elenor didn't look too good either. "I'll have some lunch brought over, my treat."

Baros gave him a sidelong glance. "You don't have to do that," he said in a gruff voice.

"Yes, I do. Your wife and daughter look about ready to fall over, and I don't think they should suffer your cooking. I'm sending food over. Besides, my own men need to eat as well. Feel free not to eat it yourself." Shaw gave him a rough smirk as Kristie opened the door to their home.

No one entered because Kristie was frozen there, staring at something and growing very pale. Adam was on immediate alert along with the other SI:7 members. He pushed past Kristie and saw what had scared her. In the middle of the floor was a noose...the same type of noose that Marisa had used on Kristie. And in the center of the noose was a dagger with blood on it. Adam recognized the dagger as the same one Kristie had used to kill Grixil.

Adam turned to see Baros and Elenor holding their daughter. With Kristie being looked after, he joined Maggie and Shaw at the rope. A note was left at the end of the rope and Adam picked it up to read it.

_So sorry I missed you, Kristie dear. But, I'm sure we'll meet again and reminisce old times. After that you can join poor Grixil._


	16. Chapter 16

Mathias scooted the Alexstons into their home and closed the door. Adam gave Kristie a concerned look before handing the note to Shaw. After reading the note, Mathias looked at Baros. "It seems you no longer top Marisa's most hated list." Shaw sat down as he handed the note to Kristie. "Rinzik, please run back to headquarters and bring me the file on du'Paige. There's a few missing elements here it might clear up."

"Take my horse." Adam interjected. "He needs to be returned to the stable anyhow." At a glare from the goblin, Adam realized his tone sounded like an order and he quickly added in an authentic, "Please." He then looked at Kristie who had to sit down after reading the note. He wanted to go over to comfort her, but her parents were already doing that. So he stayed put.

"While you're there, ask Jackson to bring some lunch and let him know we'll be filling him in on a new assignment." As Rinzik left, Shaw leaned against the edge of a table. "What happened out there?" Maggie and Adam did most of the talking with an occasional comment from Kristie. The SI:7 leader looked at Kristie as Adam described how she got away from Markus and stabbed Grixil. "So that's why she's got you marked now."

Kristie closed her eyes and suddenly got an overwhelming desire to go to sleep right then and there. The lack of food, plus the exertion of physical, mental, and emotional energy has left her exhausted. Her mother sat in a chair next to her and held her hand. Baros stood on her other side, various emotions crossing his face as he learned what his daughter had gone through. His eyes roamed from her neck to her wrists and he spoke up. "Adam, will you please go to the cathedral and ask a healer to come attend to my daughter."

With a nod and concerned look at Kristie rubbing her hands on her pants again, he quickly left for the Cathedral. Adam crossed the courtyard and walked up the stairs. Once he entered, he paused to see which priest or paladin would be available to heal.

"I thought I saw you the other day."

Adam turned his head to see Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker walking towards him and cursed himself for not being more careful about avoiding those he didn't want to talk to. He gave a respectful nod of his head to his former trainer. "Lord Grayson." He may not want to talk to him, but he did still have some respect for the man.

The paladin stopped in front of Adam and gave him a quick once over. "So, you became a rogue." The younger man nodded his head and Grayson noted the look of defense on Adam's face. "Fitting."

Adam didn't want to go into all of this and quickly said, "Excuse me, sir, but I'm in a hurry to find a healer for a friend."

Shadowbreaker wasn't going to let him off so easily as he spread his arms with open hands. "You found one." He held up a hand at Adam's protest. "The other healers are busy and low on mana reserves. And now that I've had something to eat and drink, I'm probably your best option."

Adam didn't feel like arguing, so he merely turned and walked out, knowing Shadowbreaker would follow. "What happened that so many people need healers?" He had seen all the injured people earlier, but hadn't really had a chance to ask anyone about it. It was a valid question, and one designed to keep Grayson from asking any personal questions.

"The juggernaut exploded. We're the survivors."

Adam paused as he looked at the paladin. "Juggernaut?"

Grayson stopped and gave Adam a surprised look. "Just where have you been the last couple of days that you don't know about that ship?"

"Held hostage in Elwynn."

There was silence as the two regarded each other and Shadowbreaker slowly nodded his head. "It seems there needs to be some information exchanges."

"You can do that with Shaw when we get there." Adam continued to the Alexston's home and opened the door, not bothering to knock.

Grayson took one glance around the room with interest until his gaze fell on Kristie. He assumed she was the one needing healing as she looked weak and had rope burns. Stepping over to her he introduced himself. "I'm Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker." He immediately began inspecting the wounds, removing his gloves so that he could gently probe the areas. When she gave her name, he replied, "Nice to meet you, Miss Alexston."

After he finished his examination, he held his hands over her wrists and said a healing prayer. He then did the same for the wounds on her neck. The burns disappeared, but there was still some bruising. He couldn't do anything about that. He then said one more healing prayer. This one was to help her body recover from her weakness. Glancing at Mrs. Alexston, he decided to give the same healing spell to her.

With his job done, he turned to Shaw just as Rinzik and Jackson entered carrying a box and some papers. The smell emanating from the box told him it was food. Grayson stepped over to Shaw to check his arm, but the rogue waved him away. "A priest already checked it and fixed it." Lord Grayson stepped back, but decided to stay and hear what has been going on since he left for Westfall.

"New development since you left, Adam." Shaw accepted the papers from Rinzik and he flipped through the papers in the file as he spoke. "Terrell Grubner, the thug I caught guarding Mrs. Alexston is missing. We are assuming Marisa freed him when she entered earlier." He fell silent as he began to read a page.

"Grubner? As in the Grubner brothers?" Grayson ignored Shaw's glare. The Grubner brothers were well known criminals in and around Stormwind. They are a slippery pair and it's been difficult trying to catch them.

"Yes. The Grubner brothers, Lord Grayson. But that's not our biggest concern." Shaw fell silent and held up a hand with one finger pointing upward in a silent gesture for them to wait while he finished reading the paper. After another minute, he looked over at Kristie, then Adam and Maggie. "Marisa du'Paige cared for only three people in her life. Her father, who was killed during the Stormwind riot. Edwin VanCleef, who was like a mentor and we all know what happened to him. And Grixil, a goblin shadow priest. The only information we have on him was that the two got along very well. They looked after each other, though he seemed to be content to stay in the shadow's and let Marisa take the spotlight. Perhaps they were best friends. Or considered each other family."

Adam interjected. "She was furious when she saw Grixil dead." He glanced at Kristie again. She had just put down the uneaten sandwich and had gotten up to go wash her hands at the sink. Maggie said something but Adam didn't hear as he stepped over to Kristie's side. Quietly, he said, "You did what you had to do." She stiffened and he could tell she was on the verge of breaking down.

Adam put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged him off, suddenly turning on him with a vicious look. "Stop saying that! It doesn't matter! I killed him! I took his life!" She raised shaking hands to show him. "I have his blood on my hands. It-" tears flowed down her cheeks as she seemed to struggle almost incoherently. "It won't come off." She rubbed her hands together yet again. When he tried to cover her hands with his, she tore them away. "Don't!-" She suddenly looked around and saw everyone staring at her. Kristie spun and ran upstairs to her room.

Adam started to go after her, but felt a hand on his arm holding him back. He looked to see Lord Grayson shaking his head. "Let her be, son. She needs to come to terms with this."

"Maggie. Follow her. She's not to be left alone." Shaw looked at Grayson sternly as Maggie followed orders. "She'll have to come to terms with company. Until we can catch Marisa, Kristie will be in danger." He then looked at Baros. "I'm sorry Mr. Alexston, but I fear we're going to have to separate you from your daughter once again. You're under house arrest, and until that's lifted, we can't move you. But it's not safe here for Kristie. We're going to have to move her to a secret location."

Baros didn't like this turn of events. He thought it was over. He thought things were going to go back to relatively normal. Anger and frustration fumed through him. He didn't like it, but he had to agree with Shaw. "Where?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you. The fewer people who know, the better."

"Then tell Wrynn to move the house arrest from here to wherever she is going to be."

"I'll ask him. If he agrees, we'll move you to where she is. Deal?" Baros grunted, and Shaw knew that was the closest he'll get to the word 'deal' from him.

…

"I want to be alone."

Maggie shook her head. "Sorry. Orders. But go ahead and soak your pillow if you want. Just pretend I'm not here." She leaned back against the wall and continued to watch Kristie.

Kristie closed her eyes, squeezing out two more tears as she did so and covered her head with her pillow. She shuddered a few more times as she tried to regain control of her emotions. It took longer than she expected, and by the time she calmed herself down, she felt drowsy and her exhaustion caught up to her.

Maggie saw Kristie's breathing slow and grow deeper after the crying stopped. Once she was sure Kristie was in a deep enough sleep, she went over and took the woman's shoes off, adjusted her position on the bed so she would be more comfortable, and then put a blanket over her. After that, she took the time to glance around the room, seeing all the different sculptures. She wasn't a good judge of art, but considered what she saw to be pretty good.

As she went by the window, she glanced out to see the view. There was just another building directly in front of the window, but a view of the lake was off to the left. She checked the lock on the window as well as possible ways for someone to get to the window if they wanted to. Satisfied with her study, she glanced down. On the desk, she saw a sketchbook and picked it up. There was a beautiful rendering of a waterfall, a small lake, some trees, and finally someone's hands, and eyes.

"How long has she been asleep?"

Maggie looked up when Adam whispered to her. "About an hour, I guess." She kept her voice low as she looked at the sketches again, then back up at him. "Check this out." She turned the book around and handed it to him.

Adam took the book and looked at it recognizing the sketches. "Yeah. She was looking for inspiration a couple of days ago so I took her to some waterfalls." Maggie reached out and turned the page. Adam saw his own eyes and hands in the book. "Oh."

Maggie smirked at him. "I think someone likes you."

Adam stole a quick glance at Kristie's sleeping form. "Maybe at one point. But I've gotten nothing but glares from her since we arrived at the cathedral."

Maggie took the sketchbook from him and returned it to the desk. "Hmm...I think _you_ like _her_."

Adam's brown eyes returned to Maggie and he gave her a warning look before changing the subject. "Shaw assigned us as bodyguards for her. She's not to stay here."

"Mm-hmm. I figured as much. Where will the safe house be?"

Adam hesitated. "I was going to offer our townhouse."

"There's not enough room. Besides, du'Paige might figure out we're looking after her and find out where we live."

"Yeah. That's what Shaw said." He sighed and decided to just say it. "Lord Grayson offered the use of his house."

Maggie raised an eyebrow. "And you agreed?"

"I didn't have a choice. Shaw agreed before I could protest. Besides, as much as I don't want to go the home of my former trainer, I can't deny it's a good option. Marisa will have no clue...unless she has spies following us."

"That's a possibility, especially with the Grubner brothers out there still." Maggie's stomach growled.

"Go on downstairs and get something to eat. I'm sure Shaw wants to talk to you about how we're going to move Kristie anyhow. I'll stay." She nodded and he watched her leave before turning to look around the room again. The first thing he did was move over to the covered sculpture of their hands and lift the cloth to look at it. It seemed ages ago since Elenor had shown this to him. He had been touched that she had commemorated his action and words in stone. He knew that what he had said had made an impact on her.

Adam let the cloth cover the sculpture again and moved beside the bed, watching her sleep. He admitted to himself that she had made an impact on him as well.

…

Kristie swallowed the food without tasting it. Although she had told them she wasn't hungry, her growling stomach said otherwise. And everyone was insisting she eat something before they left. She washed the sandwich down with a gulp of water and had to admit she really was hungry...but what she normally would have thought as a delicious bit of food, was nothing but texture in her mouth.

She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep and waking up to her mother's voice was a bit of a startle for her. Her parents sat on the edge of her bed as Maggie stood off against a wall, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. Baros told her how she was going to be moved to a safe house because of Marisa's note.

Kristie apparently didn't have a choice. She at first refused, wanting to stay with her parents, but they insisted she go. She had about an hour to spend with her parents, part of which had been her packing some clothes and some of her sculpting tools so she had something to do. The box and bag of her things will be brought by someone at a later time. All too soon, Shaw knocked on the door saying it was time to go. In silence, they all went downstairs.

Adam handed her a small flat and circular bottle. "Take this when we tell you. It won't last long enough to get to our destination, but it'll keep you unseen while leaving here. Hopefully, we'll get to a preplanned spot where you can drink another one and we go from there. Any questions?" She shook her head, noting how serious and businesslike he was at the moment. Never in her life had she ever thought she would need to be protected like this.

She wasn't given time to dwell on it any more. Adam, Maggie, and Shaw had all disappeared as they ghosted themselves. She didn't think she would ever understand how rogues did that. Rinzik was staying to 'guard' her dad. With a bit of relief, she and her mother had noted how seriously SI:7 was taking their job of babysitting Baros. Basically, they weren't concerned at all. None blamed him for what he did...perhaps they would have thought differently had the explosives gone off. But, they didn't.

A tap on the hand that held the invisibility potion signaled to her that she was to drink it now. Popping the cork, she drank the odd smelling potion. A grimace on her face told them she didn't like the taste. Almost immediately she saw her own body start to become translucent and finally disappear altogether. It was very disconcerting seeing oneself fade away to nothing.

A hand, she was sure was Adam's, grabbed hers and began leading her out of the house. There was no talking unless absolutely necessary. They left the Cathedral Square via the canals, over a bridge and into the Dwarven District. After entering an empty building, Kristie found herself visible again. They had timed the travel to this spot perfectly. She marveled at the efficiency of the team.

Her three escorts were still stealthed and if she looked really hard, she could just barely see Adam's translucent hand in hers. But she couldn't see Shaw or Maggie. "How do you guys know where each other is?" Which one of them laughed?

"We know. Time to take the next potion."

She did as told and watched herself disappear once again. They made their way through the streets and out towards Olivia's Pond. Once out of the busy part of the city, she felt Adam's hand tug on her and began to run to keep up. They paused behind a tree and a third potion was pressed into her hands. She drank it with a brief wonder if there was any side effects to chain drinking invisibility potions.

They ran again all the way around the pond. At the north side of the pond, they moved out towards the mountains. Snuggled up between the mountain walls and bit of flat area stood Lord Grayson's house. Kristie was too out of breath to gasp. Although it technically wasn't a mansion, it might as well have been. The house was large and simple in design. There were no ornate decorations, but just enough flora and trim to give a very 'homey' feel.

They entered the house and a few seconds later, her potion wore off and the agents made themselves visible again. Lord Grayson was there already and she had to blink again. She'd seen him from a distance in the Cathedral Square, but had never met him until today. But every time she had seen him, he was wearing his silver plate armor. Now, he was wearing some navy breeches with a matching jacket. The jacket had silver buttons and trim. At his neck he wore a simple white ascot and an onyx pin held it there. As usual, he still wore the eye patch over his right eye.

"Welcome to my home, Miss Alexston." He approached and shook her hand.

"Thank you, Lord Grayson, for your hospitality. I appreciate your willingness to put up with..." She had to pause as she got a sudden wave of nausea and had to be held steady by Adam and Maggie for a moment.

"That's from drinking too many potions. The feeling will pass in a moment." _Well that answers that question._ "Chain drinking potions isn't good for you, you know. Why'd you do it?" Kristie looked at Adam with a bit of confusion as the nausea started to fade. She was about to tell him that he told her to take them, but saw the amused look in his face. A quick glance at Shaw and Maggie told her it was a familiar joke to them.

"Oh, I just felt like taking a stroll and wanted my privacy." She let the sarcasm drip from her words as she shrugged away from Adam and Maggie. Laughter burst from the three agents. Lord Grayson even looked amused. But Kristie didn't feel like laughing. She stopped the laughter with a question of her own. "How long do I have to stay here?"

Shaw sighed. "For now, as long as it takes to catch Marisa."

"Who's going after her?"

"I am." Mathias Shaw's face became serious. "I'm taking Andro with me after he rests up. But we won't leave until King Varian has come to a decision about your dad."

Kristie's annoyance dissipated and was replaced with a sad look. "What do you think will happen to him?" Her voice was quiet.

At this point, Lord Grayson stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder. "King Varian is a just man, Miss Alexston. He may be quick to temper, but he's pointedly taking time to review this so that he can make the best decision."

A little of her annoyance returned. "The _best_ decision is to just let things return back to normal. There shouldn't even _have_ to be a decision!"

"Don't blame yourself-"

"Who else _is_ there to blame? Dad did what he did to save me! I-"

"Enough!" Grayson's tone was one he took with his own men and those he trained in the ways of the paladin. "The only one to blame here is Marisa du'Paige, young lady and don't you dare take any of it upon yourself! When you were held prisoner, who was in control?"

Kristie's hand went to gently rub her neck where the rope had been. "Marisa."

"And when you finally took that control away from her, what did you do?"

Kristie didn't answer as her mind seemed stuck on just _how_ she took control away from Marisa. A hand snapping in front of her face distracted her and she looked at her host. "Uh, we went to Stormwind to stop Dad from doing anything."

"Right. You're innocent, Miss Alexston."

Kristie gave him a weak smile. "Thank you for your support, Lord Grayson."

Mathias spoke up. "Well, I have things I need to do. Maggie, you're in charge. I expect written reports from both of you on this whole matter. I'll send someone to pick the reports up first thing in the morning and deliver them to Varian." With that, he gave a nod to Shadowbreaker and left the house.

"Come, I'll give you the grand tour." Lord Grayson showed them the various rooms on the main floor and then moved up to the second and third stories. Kristie's suite was on the third floor on the west side of the house. It had a receiving room and the bedroom in the back. He gave the rooms on either side of Kristie's to Maggie and Adam, though she was dismayed when Maggie said that only one room would be needed as they would be taking turns staying with Kristie in her room.

"Is that really necessary? Can't I have _some_ private time to myself?"

Maggie gave her an understanding look, but did not relent. "I'm sorry. But in the middle of the night is when most things tend to happen. We won't be sleeping. We'll be on duty."

Later that evening, her things arrived along with a bag with a change of clothes for Maggie and Adam. Maggie was glad to be able to take a nice bath and get out of the now shredded evening dress she had been wearing for the past few days.

While Maggie took her bath, Adam handed Kristie a small scroll. "Take this and keep it with you at all times. It's a teleportation scroll. Shaw sent it over with our things. Use it only in case of emergency. It'll teleport you and whomever you're touching to the temple in Darnassus. I know it's far away, but that's the idea."

"I don't know anyone in Darnassus. What do I do once I'm there?"

Adam seemed to be ready for her question as he handed her what looked like a coin or medallion and a folded paper. "Follow the directions on that paper and you'll be fine."

She put the items in her hip pouch and looked out the window. "Will I get to see Amy?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. Do you want to put her in possible danger again?"

Kristie sighed. "No. But, I hope she understands why I don't go to see her."

"She will. She's a forgiving child."

"Oh! I promised Nelson we'd talk tomorrow. Can that be arranged?"

"Maybe." Adam's response was a bit more gruff than intended. At Kristie's look, he shrugged. "I'll talk to Maggie about it. She's the one in charge." Yeah, she was going to love him for shoving that on her shoulders.

"Why didn't you tell me you were SI:7?" Though the question was spoken softly, there was an accusatory tone in there that made Adam pause before answering.

"Would it have made a difference in our friendship?"

Kristie winced a little. "Friends don't lie to each other."

"I never lied to you, Kristie."

"Yes you did!" She struggled to keep her voice down. "That night at your place you could have told me, but you didn't. And speaking of lies, Mr.- oh excuse me, _Sir_ Boxley. I seem to recall you claiming that you were an orphan!"

Anger flared in Adam's eyes and he stepped over to her, his body rigid from trying to keep himself in check. "Do NOT address me by that name again! I am simply Adam. I gave that name up years ago, along with the family that goes with it! The only person I lied to about that was Marisa. I told _you_ the truth that I became an orphan _by choice_."

Adam felt his temper just about out of control, something that hadn't happened to him in a long time. "Bah! Why am I even bothering." He grabbed Kristie's arm and directed her to the bathroom where Maggie was taking a bath. Without preamble, he opened the door and pushed Kristie inside. He looked in long enough to tell Maggie that Kristie was all hers and that he was going for a walk. The door closed with the two dumbfounded woman looking at each other.

Kristie knew her own temper had been rising and she did accuse him, but she had been shocked at how angry Adam had become. Obviously there was some missing information regarding his family...probably his dad with the way they had looked at each other. The splash of water reminded her that she was invading Maggie's privacy. "I'm sorry. I'll go."

"You'll stay. One of us is supposed to stay with you at all times, remember?"

Kristie sighed beginning to feel a little frustrated. "Like you can do anything to protect me from there." She turned to leave. Before she could open the door, a splash was heard and a dagger stuck halfway in the door frame and halfway in the door, effectively sticking the door in place.

"It's not a good idea to turn your back on a rogue, Kristie." Maggie watched Kristie turn around with wide eyes and uncertainty.

"You threw a knife at me." Kristie's voice had lost it's edge.

Maggie smirked as she climbed unabashedly out of the tub and walked up to Kristie. "No. I threw a _dagger_ at the door. If I had wanted to throw it at _you_, it would be in you instead of this door." With one hand, she pulled the dagger out of the wood. "Now sit down, please."

Kristie sat down in the chair and kept her eyes averted from the naked woman. "Uh, where did that..."

"...Come from?" Maggie showed her the dagger and smiled mischievously. "I always keep it within reach." She then gave a small laugh at Kristie's averted eyes. "There's no room for modesty in my line of work, Kristie."

Kristie's eyes flickered up at her face, then she looked away again. "I just don't want to be rude," she mumbled.

"Very well. I guess I'm done with my bath now anyhow." She grabbed a towel and dried off before grabbing her clean clothes and dressing herself. "I'll help you draw your bath." Together they drained the dirty water then took the extra buckets of clean, warm water and dumped them into the bath.

Then Kristie got in the bath as Maggie looked out the small window.

"Maggie?"

The rogue glanced at her relaxing in the warm water. "Yeah?"

"Do you know why he abandoned his family?"

Maggie remained silent for a minute as she thought about the question. "Is that why he threw you in here and took off?" At Kristie's nod, Maggie sighed. "Yes, I know. No. I won't tell you. That's his story to tell. Do yourself a favor. Don't bring it up with him again. Just in case you hadn't noticed, he's a bit sensitive about that."

"No kidding."

…

Adam stealthed through Stormwind City Cemetary until he came to a stop in front of a specific grave. He stayed in his ghosted state because he wanted privacy. He noticed that the grounds keeper at the cemetery did a good job keeping the grass trimmed around each of the headstones. Adam set down a single wildflower he had picked on the way and then reached out a hand, gently rubbing his fingers over the name on the headstone. He felt his eyes burn and water, but did nothing to stop the tears from falling. He allowed himself to mourn, knowing it was better to just let it out.

When he was finished he stood up and dried his face. "I've kept my promise, Ruben." He took in a deep breath and let it out. "Light! I miss my big brother." He stood there until he was sure he had collected himself, then slowly walked back to the Shadowbreaker homestead.


	17. Chapter 17

By the time Adam entered Kristie's receiving room, he was feeling more relaxed. Glancing around, he didn't immediately see either of the women. They surely couldn't be in the bathroom still. He noticed a small dinner had been sent to the room and sitting on the table by the wall. Well, they had eaten at least. There was some left for him and he grabbed a roll as he peeked in the bathroom. As he thought, empty.

Adam glanced at the bedroom and with only a slight hesitation, looked inside. Kristie was asleep on the bed. But where was Maggie? She wasn't supposed to leave Kristie alone. His body tensed slightly as he let four of his senses become more alert. A slight breeze on the skin of his left arm was the only indication that someone was near him. His arm shot out, making contact with someone. But he was at a disadvantage of not knowing exactly where the person was, whereas they had full view of him. He found his arm twisted behind him and a dagger at his side.

"If you ever leave your post like that again, I'll personally throw you out of SI:7!" Maggie's words were hushed as she appeared next to him, her green eyes flashing.

Adam winced as her words sunk in. He made a feeble attempt at justifying his actions in hushed tones as well. "I left her with you and besides, Lord Grayson is in the house-" His arm was twisted harder but he didn't fight her.

"It's not Lord Grayson's job to protect Kristie! It's yours!"

Adam sighed and hung his head in defeat. "You're right."

"Damn straight I'm right!" She released his arm and stepped back, putting her dagger away. "It's not just some stranger you're protecting either! She's your friend."

Adam sat down as he realized how much he had just failed not only in his job, but Kristie as well. He ran a hand through his brown hair, taking the band out and letting it fall to his shoulders. "I lost my temper. I rarely do that, Maggie."

She sat down next to him at an angle so she could see through the open door to the bedroom. "She doesn't understand what is going on with you, Adam. You might want to think about telling her. I told her not to bring your former family up again. Then again, maybe it's about time you resolve it."

"It is resolved." His voice allowed for no debate on the matter.

Maggie sighed and stood up. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek and ruffled his loose hair. "Oddly enough, you have other people who care about you, Adam. I consider you one of the few friends I allow myself. So you damn well better take care of yourself." She walked back over to the bedroom door and paused as she looked around. Satisfied that all was okay, she glanced back at him. "Go take a bath. You stink." She avoided the decorative pillow he threw at her. "After that go eat and get to bed. I've got first watch. I'll wake you in four hours."

…

Adam sat at the table in Kristie's bedroom. A candle was lit so he could write his report that Shaw expected to be ready in just a few hours. It was almost done. He felt much better after getting some food in his belly. That plus a bath, clean clothes and some sleep did wonders for his mood. He paused as he recalled his earlier conversation with Maggie. He wasn't sure why, but he felt honored that she included him among her friends. Another memory came to mind. That first night she had returned to Stormwind and took up residence in their townhouse. There was no request or conversation about it. Once she was reassigned back home, they had become housemates.

Before tonight, the only time she had kissed him was that one night and he had hesitated. A part of him wondered what their relationship would be like if he had not hesitated. Then again, she did say she had been looking for a one night stand and not anything permanent. Adam sighed. She was right, though. She wasn't what he was looking for. Yet, he wasn't sure exactly what he _was_ looking for. He turned his head to see Kristie sleeping in the bed.

He acknowledged an attraction to her. She was pretty and her spirit was strong, though currently being strained and tested right now. He shook his head. Maggie had told her that Nelson had called her his fiancé. Adam rubbed his eyes. She was off limits.

A shuffling of sheets brought his attention back to Kristie. At first, he thought she had awoken, but as he got up and moved over to the bed side, he saw she was still asleep, but her head was moving from side to side. She must be having a bad dream. He had a good idea what it was about. Adam sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed her hand. She may be off limits, but he still considered her a friend. "Kristie, wake up." His other hand gently came to her cheek and he caressed it briefly. Her dream seemed to be worsening as beads of perspiration formed on her forehead and her thrashing increased. He put his hands on her shoulders and gave a gentle shake. "Wake up, Kristie."

Kristie gasped and sat up quickly as she awoke. Adam had to lean back quickly so that she wouldn't bump into him and his arms automatically went around her to both comfort and steady her. "It's okay. You were having a bad dream is all." One hand moved to brush her hair out of her face and he tucked it behind her ear. To his surprise, she leaned into him, and rested her head against his chest and her arms around his waist. He kissed the top of her head. "You want to talk about it?" At her head shake, he gave an inward sigh. He just held her, feeling that was all he could do for her right now.

After a few minutes, she pulled back and looked at him. Her hand reached up to touch his unbound hair. _Off-limits!_ He had to remind himself as he resisted the urge to lean in and kiss her. _Just friends!_ Adam grabbed her hand and allowed himself one small compensation as he kissed the back of her hand. "Go back to sleep. I'll be here for you if you need me."

He shifted his position so that he could lean against the headboard and let her rest her head on his chest as she lay back down. His hand gently stroked her auburn hair and he could feel her relax. After awhile she was asleep, but he didn't want to move. Instead, he just sat there enjoying the feeling of being next to her.

All good things come to an end and this was no different. Adam still had his report to write and he was beginning to feel a little too comfortable, so he gently eased her head onto her pillow and got up. After making a round of inspection in the bedroom and the receiving room, he went back to writing his report.

…

Kristie wrapped the kerchief around her face and she picked up one of her chisels and her hammer. The stone that Lord Grayson had gotten for her stood before her. When she asked if there was anything she could do for him to thank him for his hospitality, he started to deny wanting anything, but then stopped himself. There must have been a look on her face reflecting her desire to do something. He then asked her about her tools that she had brought and she told him that she used them for sculpting. He had then smiled and asked for payment one sculpture to put in his garden. She had grinned and agreed.

Now that she actually had something to do, she needed to figure out just what she would sculpt. He told her to choose whatever she wanted. At first, she thought perhaps she would do something reflective of the cathedral or his paladin class, but then decided against it. She wanted something else representative of who he was, not what he was.

Kristie pulled the kerchief off and set down her tools. It had occurred to her that she had been looking at Adam in regards to what he was as opposed to who he was. Her mind wandered to last night. She knew she had awoken from a bad dream and that Adam had been there. He had let her just work it out for herself and had held her. She didn't remember going back to sleep or what else was said between them. She just remembered waking up the next morning and Maggie was there instead of Adam. Maggie had said something about Adam getting some needed sleep.

"Giving up already?" Kristie looked over at Maggie who was watching with curiosity.

She shook her head. "No. I just changed my mind on what I wanted to sculpt for him..but now I'm at a loss on just what I want. Mind walking with me? I want to see if I can find some inspiration around the house." The two women walked around, looking at the furniture, pictures on the walls, the grand fireplace in the great room, the spacious backyard and some of the rooms upstairs. They didn't want to invade his privacy so avoided his personal bedroom and receiving room.

Still nothing felt right to her. She then talked to some of the staff. The maids and cook had many good things to say about their lord. Kristie thanked them and sighed. It was good information, but she wasn't inspired yet. The two moved to the third floor to return to her receiving room when she paused outside another door. This room, she recalled from the tour was a simple sitting room with some books and a small fireplace. There was a balcony, but she hadn't gone out to see the view.

Kristie entered the room. It had a cozy feel to it and she looked at some of the titles of the books on the shelves. Many were books about the Light. Some were historical. Some were fictional. She moved on over to the balcony and opened the glass doors. There was another table and chairs out here with a small planter in the middle.

Kristie's breath caught in her throat as she beheld the view for the first time. Just below her were the tops of the trees that grew around Olivia's Pond. Out farther and too the left, she could see Stormwind Keep's spires rising towards the sky. She could also see the cathedral's steeples, the mage tower, and various other buildings with parts here and there rising up above the rest of the city. The view was gorgeous and she had no doubt that was why there was a balcony here.

She got a distinct feeling that Lord Grayson came out here to watch over the city from time to time. A smile came to her as she became inspired and hoped Lord Grayson liked what she had in mind. Kristie gave Maggie a nod and they went back dowstairs to the small covered deck behind the house where her sculpting tools were and got to work.

**…**

Marisa sat with her fingers steepled together as she listened to what Omar and Terrell had found out in Stormwind. After they were done, she remained silent. "So, our mysterious SI:7 agent is not an orphan as he claimed." She stood as she continued. "In fact, he's worse."

As she expected, they had reacted to her little message by trying to hide her. She didn't care. She would still find her in due time. But first, she must wait until her scouts could find a certain object she needed in order for her plan to come about. "And what of the traitor?"

"House arrest, still. There's been no change thus far." Marisa turned her steel gray eyes on Terrell. "Go back and keep an eye out. Baros will be brought before Varian for sentencing and his daughter will most likely be there. Let me know when that happens. I might just have some fun." She smiled as Terrell nodded and left the room.

She then turned to Omar. "You and Markus can help me with that fun." She then began to describe what she had in mind.

**…**

She didn't know how long she had been working, but Lord Grayson's quiet voice almost startled her into making a mistake. She set the hammer and chisel down and covered the sculpture. She didn't like people to see her work before it was done. Luckily, her body had been between him and the stone on the table. When she turned around, she saw both Maggie and Adam in chairs. Apparently, they had been watching her work, for how long, she didn't know.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Miss Alexston. But King Wrynn has requested your presence." He paused before saying, "Your father has been summoned as well." Kristie quickly removed the kerchief and shook the dust out of her clothes and hair. They quickly returned to their room on the third floor and Kristie put her cloak on and threw the hood over her head. She was instructed to hunch over and use a cane. Her role was that of an elderly lady. There would be no potions this time for which she was glad.

Lord Grayson and Kristie exited his house together. Maggie and Adam were somewhere nearby in their ghosted states. The trip to the Keep was slow due to her needing to walk slow as part of her act. Once they arrived, they were ushered into a room behind the throne room. Kristie was a bit in awe as she had never thought she would ever go past the throne room in the keep.

King Varian Wrynn wasn't alone, however. There were a select few nobles in the room as well. Lord Chantly, Nelson, Lord Romano, and Lord Boxley stood off to the side. Kristie threw a glance at Adam to see his reaction to his father being there. His body language told her he wasn't happy, but he stayed off to the side and was avoiding looking in his father's direction if he could help it.

Mathias Shaw was there as well as one she vaguely remembered seeing as one of the hostages. This must be that Andro person Shaw had mentioned before. She ignored them for now as she saw her parents. She threw back the hood and walked quickly up to her parents, giving them a hug. She then gasped a little as she had forgotten protocol and turned to curtsey before King Varian. "Sorry, Your Highness."

He waved his hand as though to dismiss the impropriety and got down to business. "Miss Alexston, I'm sorry to hear your troubles are not over yet. Mr. Shaw has filled me in on your current status. I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before you can return home." He then sighed as he got down to the business at hand.

"Baros Alexston. You've been an upstanding member of this community for many, many years. After reviewing the reports and discussing the matter with a few others, I now have two final things to do before passing judgement on your actions." He took a step closer. Baros, although a somewhat tall man himself, had to look up into Varian's scarred face. "Why did you set those explosives?"

Kristie was confused. If King Varian had talked to the others and read the reports, surely, he must know why. But her father looked almost relieved when he realized he was being given a chance to state his side with his own words. "Your Highness, My wife and daughter mean everything to me, Sire. And I love this city. The last thing I would want to do is be the instrument of any destruction or death."

"But I found myself having to choose between my family and my city. I knew my wife would try something to give out a warning. I had no opportunity to do so myself. The only thing I could do was play along. The Grubner brothers..." He glanced at Shaw to make sure he had gotten the name right. He had never heard them refer to each others names. At Shaw's slight nod, he continued. "...told me that they were going to set the explosives themselves until they got word from Miss du'Paige to make me do it. I chose to do it for two reasons. Obviously, to save my family was one. And the other reason was so that I could at least try to place them in spots where they'll do the least amount of harm."

"I was also told that I would be expected to detonate the explosives. Again, it wouldn't have made a difference to the Keep if I did or not, as she said she would if I didn't, but my wife and daughter would suffer for it." He paused to take in a deep breath and let it out. "I'm sorry for endangering the people of Stormwind. If it means me spending the rest of my life in prison just for trying to make the best choices I could to save my family, then so be it. I'm willing to do that."

Here, he knelt in front of the king and implored, "I beg of you, I'm asking to be under only house arrest for the rest of my life as long as I can be with my family. They are my life."

The room was utterly silent as King Varian watched the man kneel before him and beg. Slowly, he bent down and took Baros' arm. Then pulled him to a standing position. "Do not beg, Baros Alexston." Varian turned and paced away for a few steps before turning back to look at Baros and his family. His blue eyes focused on Kristie. "Miss Alexston, I know this will be hard on you, but I would like some information from you as well." Kristie swallowed and nodded.

"Please state your experiences with Marisa du'Paige."

Kristie glanced around the room as her hand went to her throat were the bruises were still there. She spoke of the time from first meeting Marisa and all that had transpired until Adam and Maggie were brought into the room. At that point the king stopped her, saying that was enough. "Please wait for me in the Keep's courtyard. I will be out in a few minutes."

As everyone filed out, he went to a table and picked up a quill and inkwell writing some things on a piece of parchment. There was quiet murmuring among the individuals in the courtyard. Many wondered why he had chosen to make his decision here.

"Kristie." She turned her head to see Nelson standing there. "Can we talk for a minute?"

She looked at Maggie and Adam and Maggie pointed to a spot a few feet away where they could have some privacy if they spoke quietly. Adam watched the two move over there. His eyes roamed the area around them to make sure nothing was amiss, then went back to watching them, his jaw clenched tight. About ten minutes later, King Wrynn came out and stood at the top of some stairs. Kristie gave Nelson a kiss on the cheek and a hug before the two separated, returning by their repective parent's side.

"Baros Alexston, please step forward." Varian waited until the man stepped up then spoke again, addressing everyone who could hear, including various citizens who happened to be there.

"I find that you, and your family had been caught up in a situation beyond your control. The city of Stormwind needs it's City Architect right now, so my order for you is to get back to work and make sure that everything that has been torn down gets rebuilt. Thirty percent of the cost to rebuild those walls and buildings will come from the House of Nobles and the House of Wrynn. So, please keep the costs at a minimal." He gave Baros a smile. "You've served your time under house arrest. You are free to go wherever you want. Enjoy your family time."

Kristie turned to give her dad a hug, but just as she started to wrap her arms around him, he was pulled back and up.

"I'm afraid I disagree with your assessment, Varian."

Kristie looked up and gasped. At the top of the wall, on the rampart stood Marisa and what looked like a death knight. Though what race he was couldn't be determined because of the helmet on his head. Two guards lay unconscious at their feet. And right between the two intruders with Marisa's dagger at his chest was her father! "DAD!" The unsheathing of swords and daggers could be heard and the royal guard surrounded King Varian.

Marisa glared down at her. "What's the matter, pet? Scared to see your father die in front of your eyes?" Maggie and Adam stood close to each side of Kristie. "I see you brought your lapdogs." She sneered.

"Guards!" King Varian had Shalamayne out, though there was no way for him to reach her. "Let him go, Marisa. He's not to blame for your father's death."

"No. He only betrayed the Stonemason's Guild by taking over VanCleef's job! Some brown-haired brat killed my father and VanCleef stole my kill. So I'm exacting my revenge on everyone else who deserves to die!"

"My father didn't do anything to you!" Kristie's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to figure out how to save her father.

"No. But you did!" Marisa's voice was full of hatred. "You murdered Grixil!

Kristie's hands could not be seen under her cloak. She moved one of them to her pouch before bursting forward. "Then take me instead! Let my dad go!" Adam and Maggie had not expected her to leave their protection. They quickly reached forward to pull her back, but the death knights death grip had already pulled Kristie up and out of their reach.

"Welcome back." Marisa had an evil smile on her face. "You made it so easy. Now I have two for the price of one." She pointed her dagger at Kristie. Once up on the rampart, Kristie could see a portal already made for a quick get away by Marisa.

"The guards are coming. You'll be caught!"

"And you'll get the pleasure of seeing your father die right in front of you!" Marisa moved faster then Kristie could react. Before she knew it, Marisa's dagger was buried deep in her father's abdomen.

"NO!" Kristie cried out as her father fell to the floor, blood staining his tunic. Marisa let her go so she could kneel in front of her father and hold him. Her cloak spread out half surrounding him. "Hold on Dad. Just hold on." Kristie's tears blurred her vision as she pulled the scroll out of her pouch. She didn't see Marisa's maddened eyes as the woman poised over her with a fireball forming. Although she heard Adam's warning shout, she paid no attention to it. Unrolling the scroll, she prayed to the light that she read the words right and spoke them.

Marisa's fireball shot down, but hit only the bare rampart. Seeing her prey had disappeared, she let out a loud curse of hatred and frustration. By this time, the guards on the rampart were arriving from both directions and Marisa was forced to escape with the death knight through her portal. The guards tried to follow her, but the portal had disappeared within the few seconds it had taken them to reach the spot.

Adam let out a whoop, surprising those around him. Under his breath, he said, "That's my girl!"

Shaw approached and patted him on the back. "Nice. Kid can think on her feet."

Varian Wrynn looked at the SI:7 agents like they had lost their minds. "What just happened here?"

Adam turned to the king. "She had a scroll of teleportation on her, Your Highness. We'd given it to her for her own safety. She used it to take herself and her father to safety."

"Where are they?"

"Somewhere safe." Shaw refused to say where with everyone around. He turned to Adam and Maggie. "Go talk to Andromath and go after them." After the two agents took off, Mathias went over to a pale and frightened Elenor. "They'll be okay. The scroll will have landed them right in the middle of where healers will be. I promise I'll let you know anything as soon as I find out."

**...**

A flash of light and the scenery around her changed from the open air and space of the rampart wall to a darkened circular building with a fountain in the middle and grass surrounding it. There were night elves standing and roaming around the building. She'd never been here before, but Adam had said the teleportation scroll would take her to a temple. There were some steps leading up to the fountain and a silver-haired night elf in a yellow dress stood there looking at her with a bit of surprise. Kristie's tear-stained face turned up to her. "Help me, please! My father's been stabbed!"

The kaldorei came down the steps quickly. "I'm Priestess Alathea. Please step back." Another priestess came over and put an arm around her shoulders. "My name is Jandria. What happened?"

Now that the immediate danger was gone, Kristie's mind began to haze over. She couldn't think clearly at the moment. She just wanted to make sure her father was okay. "My father was stabbed." Wait, didn't she already say that?

The priestess put her hand on Kristie's back between the shoulder blades and she felt a calming warmth spread throughout her body at that point. The haze in her mind cleared as the priestess gently tugged her backwards. "He'll be okay. Elune will watch over him. Come, sit." There was a stone bench nearby and Kristie allowed herself to be led to it. "Now, What is your name?"

Kristie blinked. "Um, Kristie. Alexston. My dad is Baros Alexston." She kept her eyes on her father and the priestesses using their abilities to heal him.

"Can you tell us what happened?"

Kristie's hazel eyes glanced at her and she noticed there were a couple of other priestesses there as well. "A woman who hates my family tried to kill us."

"How did you get here?"

Kristie held up her hand that had held the small teleportation scroll only to find that it had disappeared on use. "Um, I had a scroll that sent me here." She wasn't sure how much she was supposed to say. She sat down on the bench as she waited to hear news about her father. She had to wonder if Shaw and Adam had decided on this place specifically because she would appear in a place filled with healers. She would have to thank them for their foresight. It may have saved her father's life.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Priestess Alathea approached. "He's stable, but he needs his rest. He lost a lot of blood and only time will help him regenerate that loss. We will move him to a back room until he feels better. Can you tell me his name?"

"Baros Alexston. We're from Stormwind. Is-" She stopped herself. Of course it would be secure here, wouldn't it? Marisa would have no idea where they had disappeared to. "I should warn you that there is a mad woman after us. I don't think she knows where we are. But she attacked us right in front of King Varian and maybe she's been caught even, but I don't-"

The priestess put her hand up to stop Kristie's rambling. "You're safe here. We'll keep him safe. Do you want us to contact anyone for you?"

Kristie thought about it for a few seconds before shaking her head. "Not at this time. I think someone will be coming for me soon."

The priestess nodded and looked at Jandria. "Please settle our guest in the inn." To Kristie, she said, "We'll let you know when he wakes up so that you may visit." She then turned and disappeared into a doorway. Some other night elves put her unconscious father on a stretcher and carried him through the same door.

As Kristie stepped out of the temple, she had to let her eyes adjust to the brighter light and then marveled at the sight before her. The kaldorei architecture was so foreign to her. But it was absolutely beautiful! She was amazed how they blended crafted stone and natural plants and trees.

Jandria took her over a bridge of sorts and pointed out what looked like a hollow tree that was in the shape of a bear and a bird. There were people inside and it was supposed to be their bank. She pointed out a mailbox and moved up another bridge. The priestess told her that businesses were open almost all the time to accommodate the guests to their city, but the kaldorei themselves won't be more active until evening rolls around.

She pointed out the auction house as they passed it and walked up a ramp through what Jandria had said was the Warrior's Terrace. At the top, Kristie had to pause as she gaped at the huge tree standing a little ways away. The fact that it was a tree only added to the fact that the tree was _moving_. It's branches seemed to resemble arms and hands and it's trunk was split as though there were legs. It seemed to be looking from side to side as though guarding the area. "Oh wow." Her voice had a quiet reverence.

"He is an Ancient. He's older than any of us here. This way." Jandria smiled at the human and indicated to her left. She pointed out a few of the crafting shops until they came to the inn. Kristie paused as she realized she didn't have any gold on her. With an embarrassed look, she asked Jandria if it was true that she could access her own account in Stormwind from the bank here. The priestess nodded. "This is Innkeeper Saelienne. If you have any questions, I'm sure she can help you. Ande'thoras-ethil."

Kristie could only assume what the night elf had said in her own language was some sort of farewell. She had never learned any language apart from her own common. The darnassian language from what she's heard so far was beautiful to listen to. The innkeeper showed her to a bed within the inn. The kaldorei race were so different from the humans. They preferred open air to enclosed spaces, and their inn reflected that. One whole wall was missing and there were no individual rooms. Instead, there were beds with only a folding screen between each for privacy.

After sitting down, Kristie took a moment to settle herself before pulling out the medallion and paper Adam had given to her. She read the instructions and stood to ask the innkeeper for directions. She thanked the kaldorei and followed where she was told. Soon, she found herself near the temple once more, crossing a small bridge into a building with various herbs.

"Ishnu-alah. Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking for-" She stopped as she heard a loud purring sound to her right. Turning her head, she gasped as she looked into the eyes of a large frostsaber cat. She knew the night elves had large cats as mounts. This one seemed too small to be a mount, though.

"Do not worry. Sabine will not hurt you."

Kristie glanced at the dark-haired night elf next to the saber. "I'm...sorry. I've not been to Darnassus before and I...was surprised." She tried to collect herself. "I'm looking for someone." She glanced at the note in her hand. "Jelune Mooncaller."

"I am he. What can I do for you?"

She glanced at the note, then decided to hand it to him to read for himself along with the small medallion. He took them and read the note before glancing up. "Have a seat."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: Yeah, I couldn't resist bringing in a guest appearance from my other story. :)<em>

_For those who've read Ileeya's Thorn, this meeting takes place about a month after Ileeya was rescued in Stranglethorn Vale, and before Jelune became 'the hunted.' _


	18. Chapter 18

"Mr. Shaw, a moment of your time, please."

Mathias turned to see Lord Aron approaching. He glanced down at Rinzik before looking at the noble and replying. "Just one minute. I have things that need my attention right away."

"I appreciate it. I'll be quick and to the point, then. I want to see my son's file."

"I'm sorry. The files on our agents are not to be-"

"Not Adam's file. Ruben's."

This brought Mathias up short as he glanced at the man. "Why?"

"I'd rather not say-"

"Then the answer is no. Good day-"

"Fine." Lord Aron's eyes flashed in annoyance. He took a deep breath and let it out. "I want to review the information on my son's death. Something I heard today has brought the matter to mind."

"I'll have Jackson look it up for you." Mathias and Rinzik continued on their way to headquarters. Once there, Mathias sent Rinzik to task Jackson with the requested file and then sat down to review the papers on his desk searching for possible hiding locations for Marisa du'Paige.

Rinzik returned with said file and Shaw glanced at him with an unspoken question. "I took the liberty of reading the file Jackson was supposed to take to Lord Aron." Mathias raised an eyebrow and waited for more as the goblin handed the file to him. "You'll find it interesting."

Shaw put down his other files and took the one on Ruben Boxley. If Rinzik said it would be interesting, then he better read it. After glancing over the papers, he stopped on one page and reread it, taking the information in as he put two and two together. "Does she know?"

"I don't think so. Not yet anyhow, or else she'd have said something."

Shaw stood up quickly and set the file down. He grabbed his cloak and quickly made his way downstairs. "Romano!" The man turned from speaking to someone and approached his leader. "Get over to the Boxley residence and stay with the man. Work with Jackson to set up a rotation. I don't care if he argues, just do it! Rinzik will fill you in." He stepped outside the building where some rogues and warriors were practicing their skills against some dummies.

"Where are you going?" Rinzik had followed him to the door.

"Darnassus. I need to talk to Adam. You're in charge of the du'Paige case until I return." He then took off for the Mage Quarter and Rinzik returned inside.

With another duck under the moving arm of the practice dummy, one rogue stopped his rotation and turned around to watch Shaw disappear around a corner. A satisfied smile rested on Markus' face. He gave one last vicious stab in the middle of the dummy before pulling his dagger out and headed for Stormwind's front gate.

**…**

"What is it you need protection from, Miss Alexston?"

Kristie glanced at the night elf sitting cross-legged across from her. It felt odd saying that someone was trying to kill her and her father. "Someone is...after me and my dad. He's being treated in the temple as we speak." She looked down, unsure how much she should really say. "She shouldn't know where I am, but I came here in a hurry with my father. Adam and Maggie should be coming after me, so hopefully I won't be bothering you for very long."

"It's not a bother. Adam helped me before. I'm glad to return the favor." He glanced as a female night elf with teal green hair stepped over to them. She held some herbs in her hand.

"Did I hear Adam's name?"

Jelune nodded. "He's asked a favor of me in taking care of Miss Alexston here until he can get here."

Her silver eyes lit up. "Adam's coming here?"

He nodded his head then introduced the two women. "Kristie Alexston, this is Ileeya Whitestar, my foster sister." Kristie shook her hand, but felt a bit reserved. She wondered how these two knew Adam. And just how well they, or rather she, knew him. Kristie caught herself. Was she feeling jealous? Why?

"Kristie!"

She turned and saw Adam bounding up to her, Maggie not too far behind. She barely had time to stand up when Adam engulfed her in a huge bear hug, then just as quickly held her shoulders at arms length. "You were brilliant! Even Shaw was impressed with your quick thinking." He then gently slapped her arm. "And don't you EVER do that to me- to us again! How can we protect you if you jump right into her hands?"

"I couldn't let her hurt my father!"

"But your father still got hurt, didn't he?" Maggie arrived and stood next to her partner. "Adam's right, Kristie. Although your quick thinking to use the scroll probably saved your father's life, you put your own life in danger to do so. You were a split second from being burned to a crisp. Had it taken you any longer to read that scroll, you wouldn't be here now." She pulled out something that looked like a metal star, only it's points and edges were very sharp. She turned and threw the star into the wall across the room where no one was standing. "We may prefer to fight up close but we have other options to us if we are forced to be at range. Your action blocked our ability to take care of the situation our way." She went and retrieved the throwing weapon and returned. "You have to trust that SI:7 and Stormwinds Royal Guard know what they are doing."

Kristie felt her face flush and she looked down. "I was just trying..." She felt a hand on her arm and looked up to see Maggie smiling at her.

"That's not to say that Adam and Shaw are not correct. Despite putting yourself in danger to do so, you _did_ save your father. Your bravery is to be commended." Maggie then stepped back and smirked as though she felt the situation had become too serious. "Besides, Adam here is just upset that he didn't get to come running to the rescue on top of a white horse."

Adam spun to face her. "What!"

She only grinned wickedly at him. "Paladin."

Kristie watched Adam roll his eyes and ascertained there was some sort of inside joke going on. Now she began to wonder if something more were going on between Adam and Maggie than just workmates. She had no time to ponder, however, as Jandria appeared in the doorway saying her father was awake and asking for her. Maggie followed Kristie out the door to the temple.

Adam turned to Jelune and the two grasped the each other's wrists in greeting. "Thank you for looking after Kristie until we got here." He turned to Ileeya and accepted her hug. "I'm glad you made it home."

"We almost didn't." Jelune's voice was a low rumble and Ileeya gave him a look that made Adam wonder what happened after he had left them. "The witchdoctor found us." The night elf hunter answered without being asked.

Adam let out a curse. "Sorry, man. Had I known, I'd have come back. What happened? You obviously got away."

"Believe it or not, Kirlothenin saved us. He claimed he was getting rid of the competition, but let us go."

"But he's going to go after you, Jelune." Jelune shot his sister a warning look.

"Do you need any help? I'm on assignment right now, but hopefully it'll end soon and I can come back to lend you a hand. And this time, I won't charge you for my services."

"That is kind of you to offer, Adam. But he's most likely forgotten about us." Jelune turned the conversation away from the subject. "Now, what is going on with your current ward? I am glad to help you out, but I hope you have not brought more danger to my family."

Adam watched Ileeya roll her eyes at her brother's over protectiveness. "No. The woman after Kristie has no idea where she is now. Besides, we'll be leaving after her father is recovered enough to move." Adam then turned to Ileeya. "I have another favor to ask, which is partly why I had asked Kristie to contact you, though she doesn't know it."

Ileeya raised a long green eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Kristie has been through an ordeal which she's having a hard time getting over." He quickly explained the hostage situation and how Kristie had killed someone in order to save them. Then he told them about Kristie's constant need to wash her hands, even though they were clean, and her nightmares. "I was hoping with your knowledge of herbs and druidism, you might have some suggestions on how I can help her get over this."

"Time is the best thing for her. But we can help ease her mind in the meantime. I'll get the herbs for you to make into a tea. We can teach her to meditate. I'm not far enough along in my druid training to help with the nightmares, but my shando could probably help in that regard."

"Shando?"

"Her teacher," Jelune provided.

"Ah." He and Jelune chatted about various things as Ileeya gathered together some dried herbs and wrote down instructions on how much of each herb to use for the tea. At one point, Jelune's father returned from his lunch break along with another kaldorei. The hunter introduced Firodren and Mehlumis to Adam. Now that her foster father had returned, Ileeya gave the tea herbs and instructions to Adam and excused herself so that she could go see her teacher for her next druidic lesson. She paused by Adam and told him to bring Kristie by when she was finished visiting with her father.

**...**

"How are you feeling, Dad?" Kristie had been careful with her hug. It was a relief to her to see him sitting up in bed. But he still looked pale from the loss of blood. Maggie stood near the doorway, but she wasn't needed really since there was a sentinel stationed just outside the door.

"I could be better," he admitted. "But I'm alive. That's what counts." He squeezed his daughter's hand as though to acknowledge her part in his being alive.

She turned to the priestess standing next to Maggie. "How long until he can go home?"

"I would suggest a couple of days. He'll have regenerated enough blood by then as well as regained his strength."

"Nonsense! I can travel home and work from my bed there. The king is expecting me to fix those walls."

"You'll stay where you are, Dad. If I have to _I'll_ go back and get those projects underway for-"

"No you won't! You'll stay undercover until that wicked woman is taken care of!"

Maggie had an amused look on her face. She muttered under her breath so that only Priestess Jandria could hear. "Like father like daughter."

The priestess allowed a small smile before stepping forward. "No one is going anywhere for now. Mr. Alexston, you will not leave until your healer has given her permission. You have a sentinel outside to protect you. But at the same time, she will not allow you to leave until she has been given instructions to do so from Priestess Alathea. The sentinels here are used to cantankerous patients." She gave a smile to Kristie. "And this cantankerous patient needs his rest. Come back tomorrow and he should be strong enough to have a longer visit." Kristie sighed. The visit was so short. She gave her father a hug and kiss before leaving with Maggie.

They arrived at the herbalist's shop and found that Ileeya was gone and another man was there. He was introduced as Jelune's father and the owner of the shop. Adam was paying the man for a package of some sort and the three humans left the shop with the expectation of joining the Mooncallers for dinner later that evening.

Ileeya showed them the inn where she had rented a bed, then mentioned that she needed to get to the bank so she could pay for her lodging. Maggie shook her head. "You can get some extra money out if you wish, but lodging and food is part of SI:7's expenses. We'll take care of it." She left to pay the innkeeper for Kristie's bed plus two more beds for herself and Adam. Meanwhile, Adam took Kristie to the back of the inn where there was a pot stove and a table next to it that included various dishes. He pulled out a teapot and filled it with water from the pitcher. Putting it on the stove, he asked Kristie to open the package.

"Ileeya recommended this blend of tea to help us to relax and meditate." He realized as he spoke that he hadn't asked the proper way to meditate. Well, it couldn't be all that hard, could it? If anything, he could always ask the innkeeper for advice.

"Meditate? Why?" Kristie gave him a confused look.

Adam hesitated. He hadn't really lied to her yet about anything. He decided this wasn't worth a lie. "You're having a hard time coming to terms with what happened." He saw her hands start to open and close and hated having to bring this up, but knew it was needed.

"I'll be fine!"

"You broke down in front of everyone, Kristie. You need to face this."

"I don't need to face anything!" She whirled to walk out but was restrained by Adam's hand on her arm. She turned, ready to yell at him, but was stopped short by the look on his face. He wasn't angry. His expression was one of concern.

"Please."

That simple, soft-spoken word made her catch her breath and her anger left her. But she still didn't want to talk about what she had done. Kristie closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his chest for a moment before backing up. Her voice was strained as she spoke. "Fine. I'll drink the tea, but I'm still not going to talk about it."

"You're as stubborn as your father." Maggie walked by them and stopped to pull out three tea cups, setting them on a table near the stove.

"Not you, too!" Kristie gave a frustrated groan.

"There's more." Adam walked with Kristie to the table and tensed up for another refusal. He sat her down but remained standing in case she decided to try and walk off again. "I'm taking you to Ileeya's druid teacher to see about those nightmares you're having." His voice brooked no argument and he was rewarded with a glare.

"Forget it."

The tea steeped and Maggie turned to pull the teapot off the stove and poured the contents into the cups. "Let's take a few minutes to drink our tea and calm down." Adam sat down and picked up his cup, sipping it as he mentally tried to keep himself calm. He watched the two women drinking their tea as well and soon the tea had worked through his system and he no longer felt on edge, though he was still determined to help Kristie.

Finally, Maggie spoke up again. "Kristie, Adam's right. You need to face this." She held up her hand before the woman could protest and looked at Adam. "And you're backing her into a corner with your insistence on helping her." She pinned him with a look of her own, daring him to speak. To his credit, he remained silent. Maggie then looked into her cup, taking a slow sip once more.

"I suggest a compromise." She didn't look at either of them, but knew their eyes were on her. She held off her idea for another moment, letting them wonder what she had in mind. "Kristie will talk about her past. And Adam... will talk about his." She finally looked up at them. No words were spoken as they both considered her suggestion, staring at each other. Both warring inside on what was more important. Kristie's curiosity battled with her determination not to talk about what had happened. Adam's desire to help his friend struggled against his desire to keep his past private.

Finally, Adam relented and gave a slow nod. "I will agree, _if_ she does this first."

It was Kristie's turn to make up her mind. To be honest, she had thought Adam would decline. The fact that he was willing to open up to her, something that was obviously a very sensitive subject, told her how important it was to him for her to get help. How could she refuse him? She quietly nodded her head in agreement. Two hands reached for hers. One was Adams, the other, Maggie's.

The three finished their tea and after asking the innkeeper where the druids train, followed the path to the Cenarian Enclave. Once there, they asked another night elf where Ileeya might be. They had no clue what her teacher's name was. Fortunately, the night elf knew where they were and the trio of human's walked to the back of the enclave to find them sitting in the grass, talking.

As soon as she saw them, Ileeya stood up and introduced her teacher, Denatharion to them. Apparently, she had already mentioned Adam's concern to him as the elder druid took Kristie's hand and indicated for her to sit on the grass. Kristie swallowed nervously and glanced at Adam. "You better keep your promise." At Adam's reassurance that he will, she sat down cross-legged between Denatharion and Ileeya.

"Close your eyes."

She hesitated. "What are you going to do?" With patience, the elder druid explained that he was going to help her go into a meditative state and from there, he will help her go to sleep. Once asleep, he will join her in her dreamstate. "You can do that?" Another patient smile and nod of the head and she took a few breaths to calm herself. She suspected the tea she drank earlier helped, because it seemed awfully easy to close her eyes and relax.

_Before she knew it, she was asleep and wandering around what seemed to be just plain blackness. There was a vague sense of being watched and a silent voice that seemed to come from in her head told her to think about the time when she was a hostage. Kristie recognized Denatharion's voice, yet she still hesitated. She didn't want to do this. The voice reassured her that she would be safe. Kristie took a deep breath and recalled the moment of Maggie's and Adam's entrance into the room._

_The conversation was the same. The situation was the same. She knew what was coming. She knew what she had done before...what she was going to do again. The voice of Denatharion spoke again. "This is your dream. It is not real. You can control it. If there's something you don't like, change it into something you do."_

_Kristie complied. She pictured herself out of the room and suddenly she was standing in the old Stormwind Park before it had been demolished by Deathwing. Her nerves began to settle and calm down. Yes, she could do this. It wasn't so bad. Someone passed by her in the park and she waved. The person turned around and she froze. It was Grixil. He wasn't supposed to be here. Denatharion's voice spoke again, telling her that sometimes dreams can be persistent and to change it again. She concentrated, though it was harder now that she was a little shaken. _

_She was in Gemma's shop. Gemma stood off to the side with her back to her. Kristie had her hammer and chisel and was working on a sculpture. Kristie stared at the chisel almost as though she didn't know what it was. A voice spoke. "Well? What are you waiting for?" The voice wasn't Denatharion's. A shiver went down her spine as she realized whose voice it was. Gemma turned around, but it wasn't her face. Grixil's calculating grin faced her and suddenly her teacher wasn't there. Only the goblin._

_Kristie could feel her breath coming in short bursts as her heart began to pound in her chest. The shop faded away and they were back in the room. Where was Denatharion? She hadn't heard him say anything for a few minutes. The chisel in her hand had changed into Markus' dagger. Grixil's haunting voice spoke again. "You know what you did. You know what you must do again."_

_Tears fell down Kristie's face as she struggled to stop herself. But her body seemed to have a mind of it's own as once again, she had plunged the dagger into the goblin's back. Kristie had control of her body again and looked at Marisa. The mage had a smirk on her face and an odd laugh erupted from her throat. "Well, I guess we are more alike than I thought."_

_Kristie shook her head. "No. I- I had no choice. I-" She glanced at Maggie who was frowning and pointing an accusing finger at her. Her eyes went to Adam who had a look of disgust on his face. "I was trying...to..." She felt overcome with a tumult of emotions. Guilt, self-loathing, regret, disgust. She was in such a state, no longer even recalling that she was in a dream, that it didn't phase her when the body of Grixil moved. His evil cackle echoing throughout the room. She could only stare in terror, backing up against a wall._

_"Slippery slope. Slippery slope. You took that step on that slippery slope." Grixil's voice taunted her as he moved closer to her. "Well? Are you going to enter?" Kristie turned her head to see the door that led to the room Nelson had been in. Renewed terror filled her. She didn't know why, but she knew she couldn't go into that room. If she went in, she would be lost. Her body shook as she fought herself. Some part of her was trying to get her to open the door. It was almost as if she had no control over anything. Her hand reached out for the doorknob. "Enter. You must. You have no choice!" The goblin's cackled sent more chills down her spine._

_As her hand covered the doorknob, she felt her arms warm up a slight degree. This gave her cause to hesitate as she felt the warmth move to her back. It was almost as though- Grixil's green hands covered her own bloody ones. "Twist the knob." She did as she was told. The door opened a crack._

_"Kristie."_

_The voice was a bare whisper. It wasn't Grixil's. Whose was it, then? Her body warmed up a degree and she felt a calming presence. The goblin grabbed her hands and showed them to her. "Look at the blood. Look at what you did. You deserve punishment. You need to enter that room and face your punishment."_

_Kristie felt her feet take a step forward. She peered into the room, but it was pitch black._

_"Fight it, Kristie."_

_The whisper was louder this time. Now she could hear voices, as though they were in another room. She couldn't make out what they said. With renewed determination, she stopped her feet from forcing her into the black room. The goblin grew angry now. "You will do as I say! You will succumb to your terror! I will torment you for the rest of your ill-fated life!"_

_A pounding of her heart roared in her ears as she began to recall Denatharion's words that she could control her dream. Where did he go? The pounding grew louder as she shook to retake control of her own body. She had to change this. She can't enter that room! The pounding had a rhythmic effect now and she turned her head to see something headed towards her. The pounding was no longer from her terror-filled heart. It was coming from the image. As the image got closer, she saw it was a white horse with what looked like a paladin sitting atop. They were racing towards her. As they got close, the paladin held out his hand and she forced her hands to reach out and take it. She was swung on top of the horse as they rode away from the rooms and Grixil who was furious, but suddenly disappeared. _

_The scene changed and they were now back at the waterfalls Adam had taken her to. She climbed off the horse, feeling less fearful, but still wary. Was the goblin going to appear from somewhere again? She looked around as the paladin dismounted and removed his helmet. She looked into Adam's worried face. "Wake up, Kristie. Return to us."_

Kristie opened her eyes. The relieved faces of Maggie, Denatharion, Ileeya, and Priestess Alathea hovered over her. Kristie blinked and moved her hand to her forehead. It was slick with sweat. She felt like she had just finished running from the docks in Stormwind Harbor to the front gate of the city in five minutes flat. She tried to get herself to relax and realized she was leaning against something, or someone. Turning her head, she saw Adam blinking his eyes as though he were just waking up himself.

She was leaning against his chest with his arms wrapped around her for support. As much as she felt comfortable there, she decided to sit up. "What happened?"

"Unexpected complications." Denatharion put his hand on her arm. "My apologies, Miss Alexston. I had thought this to be a simple purging of a bad dream. It was not. There was a nasty spell attached to your dream. As soon as I realized it, I sent Ileeya to bring a priestess who would be better able to dispel it than I. I am sorry for leaving you alone in there. But it was either leave right away or get trapped along with you and not able to bring help."

"Trapped?" Kristie looked at him in confusion.

"Yes. We figured that Grixil had known that he was going to die at some point, and being the cruel goblin he was, had prepared a spell to torment his killer. He probably cast it on you as he was dying. It hid within your subconscious and magnified your own fears and insecurities." Alathea had spoken this time.

"So, it caused me to have bad dreams and..." She glanced at her hands.

"Sort of. Remember, it had to have something to work with in order to magnify it. When I tried to get you to change your dream, we inadvertently triggered a trap designed to keep you in your dreamstate and torment you until it controlled you. Who knows what would have happened after that." Denatharion sighed. "You were lucky to discover this now, rather than later. That spell was designed to slowly drive you mad over time."

Denatharion fell silent for a moment before continuing. "As we waited for Ileeya and the priestess, we saw you were starting to lose your battle. I was needed to guide the priestess to where I found the spell so I couldn't return to you. Adam volunteered to enter your dream in order to help you, risking his becoming trapped as well. You've a good friend there, Miss Alexston."

Kristie looked at Adam both surprised and touched that he would do that for her. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. Adam." A slight tinge of red tinted his ears as he shrugged it off. Kristie then furrowed her brow as she recalled his part in the dream. "But why a paladin on a white horse?"

A snicker came from behind Adam and he turned to glare at Maggie. "I had trouble getting into her dream! I found that memory and used it, okay? I wasn't about to be picky!" Maggie only burst out loud into laughter, holding her sides. Her merriment was catching as the others in the group began to giggle as well. Even Kristie felt herself unable to hold back as laughter bubbled up from inside her. Adam pointed at Maggie accusingly. "You're the one who brought up the white horse and paladin!"

This threw Maggie into another fit. "My only regret is I wasn't there to see you!" She was rolling on the ground now and Adam's good nature took over as he relented and chuckled at himself.


	19. Chapter 19

After leaving Stormwind, Markus vanished, making sure no one was watching him. He headed towards Mirror Lake and then followed a stream up the mountain side to a house sitting by itself next to a small river. After entering, he unstealthed, nodded his hello to Morgaine and two of her people and went downstairs to talk to Marisa. Markus saw her door was open, which meant he didn't have to waste time knocking and waiting for a reply. He entered and upon seeing Marisa, spoke. "Darnassus. They're in Darnassus."

Marisa's steel-gray eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. I heard Shaw say he was going to speak to Adam in Darnassus."

The blond woman smiled as she picked up a small box that had arrived a few hours ago. "Perfect timing." She put the box in a bag and gathered a few other items. "I've never been to Darnassus before, so I can't make a portal for there. But I know someone who has been there and can give us a portal for a fee. Go get Omar and Terrell. We leave soon."

**...**

Maggie, Adam, and Kristie made their way back to the inn. Kristie hadn't felt this lighthearted in a long time. The innkeeper gave them a smile and told them there was some food at the back if they were hungry. None of them had any lunch so they opted to partake of the food. As they sat down, Kristie's mind wandered to Adam's promise. She wanted to ask him about it, but she also didn't want to dampen the mood either.

As it turned out, the mood was broken anyhow by the arrival of Shaw. "There you are." He stepped over to the stove and poured himself a cup of coffee. Then he sat down at the table with them and glanced around the inn. Aside from the innkeeper who stood just outside the building, they were the only ones in the inn. "The priestess I talked to told me your father is recovering nicely." Mathias took a sip of his coffee as Kristie nodded.

The SI:7 leader sat there in silence while Adam wondered why he was there. Shaw wasn't supposed to be in Darnassus. He didn't like this silence either. "What's the news back home?"

"We're still looking." Shaw's eyes remained on Adam and he decided to get right to the point. "We came across some new information regarding Ruben."

Kristie watched Adam stiffen and she tried to figure out who this Ruben was. Maggie provided the information. "Ruben was his brother." _Was_. Kristie picked up on the past tense and nodded her thanks to Maggie. She now remembered Baron Worthington saying something about Lord Aron having a deceased son. She reached out a hand to clasp Adam's in a supportive gesture.

Shaw took a quick glance at Kristie and remembered Adam's desire for privacy. "Perhaps you and I can take a walk, Adam. Maggie can stay with Miss Alexston."

Adam tightened his grip on Kristie's hand. "No. I made a promise." He glanced at her. "She can stay."

Only a hint of surprise flashed across his face for a brief moment before Shaw nodded. "Very well. We reviewed his file after your- after Lord Aron made a request to do so." With a glance at Kristie, he decided to fill her in before continuing. "Ruben Boxley died in the riot thirteen years ago.* Although we had interviewed a few people, we couldn't get a clear picture of what happened. His body had been trampled from the rioters running from Stormwind. The trampling hid many of the clues we might have been able to use to find the cause of death."

"Because the few witnesses we could find had different accounts of what happened, we never could close the case, though we had a few ideas." His gaze returned to Adam. "It happened so long ago, I had forgotten about it." He spoke no apologies, though his eyes seemed to beg understanding of his position. Adam said nothing as he waited for him to get around to the new information.

"When I reviewed the file, I found some glaring coincidences to recent information that I had to come to a conclusion." He let go of his coffee mug. "Your brother had been in a fight. One witness said he was defending someone else. One said another rioter had attacked him. And the last one said someone else was going to attack him before the one that killed your brother jumped in ahead of her." Here he paused to see if Adam had made any connections yet. From the look on the younger man's face, he hadn't. So he gave some more information. "Your brother's body was found near the fountain in Old Town. Two other bodies were found in Old Town that day. One of them was Francis du'Paige."

Kristie gave a gasp at the name and felt Adam's grip on her hand tighten to the point of pain. She pulled on her hand and he let it go before standing up and pacing as he figured out what Shaw was getting at. "Marisa said a 'brown-haired brat' had killed her father. Ruben had brown hair. So that means VanCleef had killed my brother." A hand ran over his face and came to rest, covering his mouth for a moment before dropping it and speaking again. "Had I known, I'd have gone after him."

"And you'd probably be dead. You were still a kid. I'd trained him myself. He would have killed you, just as he did your brother." Shaw stood up and put a hand on Adam's shoulder. "And you have more to worry about than past grievances. If Marisa ever sees the resemblance between you and Ruben, you know she'll go after you just for spite."

Mathias stepped back and glanced at the trio, observing their reactions to this news. Despite Adam being a relatively new recruit to SI:7, he was learning fast and a good addition to the guild. He and Maggie worked well together, as a team should be. Shaw made a mental note to see about putting these two together permanently instead of this one mission.

"Thank you for letting me know, sir."

Mathias grunted. "Don't let it affect your current assignment. Now, what are your plans at this point?"

"Adam and I decided it would be best not to return to Stormwind for the time being. We hadn't gotten any farther than that for plans."

Kristie wanted to protest. Stormwind was her home. She'd rather be there. But she kept quiet. By now, she trusted them to do what was best. Though there was a concern she still wanted to address. "What about my dad?"

Shaw replied. "I've already taken care of that. When I arrived, I informed the sentinels that no one is to visit him during his recovery save one of us four whom they've seen and know what we look like. He'll stay here until he's recovered. After that, we'll see. I'm hoping there will be no need for concern by then."

He glanced over his shoulder to the open wall of the inn where four sentinels stood, talking to the innkeeper. "Right on time." He looked back at the three curious and slightly confused faces sitting around the table with him. "I accidentally let slip where you were to a rogue who had been tailing me."

"You _what_?" Adam looked at him baffled. "After all this planning to get her to a place-"

"At ease, Adam. Admittedly, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. But I've got a plan to try and end this sooner rather than later."

Adam looked at Kristie and back at Shaw, shaking his head. "No. You're not using her as bait!"

"Boxley!" Mathias stood up, a warning in his voice and eyes. Adam stood as well, glaring at him for using his surname. His hands had clinched into two fists. "Pipe down or you'll be relieved of duty!"

Maggie had stood up as well, pulling Kristie back with her. She was expecting a fight. To her surprise, Kristie pulled away from her and stepped between the two men. She faced Adam and put one hand on a fist and the other hand on his chest. She looked him in the eyes. "Adam." Her voice was quiet, forcing him to focus on her. "I need you here. Please calm yourself."

Adam's free hand reached up and grasped the hand she had placed on his chest as he looked at her. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

Shaw watched the two for a moment before speaking again. "As I was saying, I have a plan. It does involve bait, and Kristie will be involved to a small degree...but she will not be the bait." He paused to let that sink in to the errant rogue. "Take a moment to calm yourself, agent. While you're doing so, consider how close you just came to losing your job because of your resentments and temper. Maggie, you're with me."

He stepped off to the other side of the room, expecting her to follow him. She did, and as soon as they were out of earshot of Adam and Kristie, she spoke up. "You know sir, you didn't have to use his last name. You know how he feels about that."

"Are you looking to get written up as well, Ms. Strome?" He kept his eyes on the two across the room.

"No. But I'm curious to know why you goaded him into losing his temper."

Now Mathias looked at her, appraising her for a moment. "You're intuitive. But, not quite correct this time. I used his surname to get his attention. Yes, I knew it could set him off. He's going to have to get ahold of this. Marisa could just as easily goad him into losing his temper and making a mistake."

"Kristie could help in that regard."

"I noticed."

…

Kristie sighed and gave Adam a questioning look. He wasn't ready to talk about it right now. He probably wouldn't have time to completely tell her about his family right now anyhow. So, he changed the subject. "You never told me that Nelson proposed." It wasn't exactly what he wanted to talk about, but it was just the first thing that had popped into his mind.

She blinked at the change of subject, but if it calmed him down, she went with it. "Yes. It was the night before the...well before everything happened."

"Congratulations on your engagement." His voice sounded a bit flat.

"Thank you for the sentiment, but I didn't accept."

"You what?" He had been looking off to the side up until that point. Now he was looking directly at her.

"Well, I told him I'd think about it because he didn't seem to take my no seriously. Our engagement was very brief if it ever truly was. Then when I talked to him earlier today, it turned out that he had a change of heart. It seems recent events have affected him more than anything else in his life, and he wanted to go in search of himself. He didn't want me to sit around waiting for him and acknowledged that I didn't have true feelings for him, at least not in that way. But we have agreed that we will always be friends."

He was staring hard at her by now and she almost wondered if she had said something wrong. "You're not engaged?"

She shook her head. "I'm not eng- Adam! What are you doing?"

He had a feral grin on his face as he pulled her to him. "I'm kissing you."

A mix of emotions permeated her senses. She was shocked at his action and proclamation, at the same time a thrill of anticipation filled her. She couldn't think of how to reply to this, but one word blurted from her mouth before she realized she was even going to ask the question. "Why?"

"Because you're no longer off-limits." There was no more time for words as his lips brushed hers. The electricity she had felt the last time he kissed her was there again and she could feel her heart pound as he pressed into the kiss. His strong arms held her close against him as she gave up any pretense of protest, choosing instead to wrap her own arms around him and kiss him back.

"About damn time!" Maggie's voice interrupted them, and Kristie pulled back, a blush growing across her cheeks.

"We'll talk later." Adam whispered to her before Maggie and Shaw approached. Kristie nodded.

"Well, it seems you are definitely in a better mood." Mathias looked from one to the other and sighed, muttering to himself, "Baros is gonna shoot me." In a normal voice, he spoke to Kristie. "Miss Alexston, I would like a word with Adam alone."

With a frown, Kristie glanced at Adam and stepped back with Maggie as Adam and Shaw moved away. Shaw looked Adam in the eye and got right to the point. "When her old man finds out about you two, he's gonna have a conniption. I don't normally get involved with my agent's personal lives, but I'm making an exception here. You better know what you are doing. If anything happens to Baros Alexston's little girl, you're gonna find yourself in a heap of trouble."

Adam raised an eyebrow at this statement. "He's a bit protective of her, I take it."

He snorted. "A bit."

"Don't worry, sir. I have no intention of hurting her."

"Good. Because Baros isn't the only one you'd have to worry about." Shaw looked him in the eyes to make sure the agent got his meaning.

Adam was surprised, and though not keen on being threatened by the leader of an assassin's guild, he didn't think he really had much to worry about. He fully wanted to explore a relationship with Kristie. Still, he couldn't help but be curious as to why Shaw would be so concerned. "Just what is the story between you and Baros?"

"Not a story for you to hear." Mathias turned back to the two women as though to end the conversation. "Now, back to business."

The four of them sat down at the table again and a more serious mood took over. "Night time is falling quickly. I don't anticipate Marisa to do anything at night. Although it would normally be more advantageous for her to try something tonight, seeing as we are in the Kaldorei home city, and they can see much better at night than she can, she would be at a disadvantage. Still, we will be prepared."

He pulled out some small bottles and set them on the table. Kristie didn't know what they were and asked him about them. "They are potions of illusion. See those sentinels over there?" He nodded in the direction of the four sentinels. "Three of them will take the potions while looking at you three. They'll look like you and will take your place in here, acting as though they are you. Meanwhile, you three are going to walk right out in full view of everyone. But you're going to look like the sentinels. I'll stay behind in the hopes of capturing Miss du'Paige."

"Where are we going?"

Shaw grabbed a piece of parchment sitting on a side table, then took the quill and began writing something. When he finished, he handed it to Maggie. She read it and then nodded, understanding that he didn't want the name of the place spoken aloud. She handed the parchment to Adam and said, "We'll need to find a mage."

"I know one. Well, just met him today, but I think he'll make the portal for us. He's supposed to work in a shop around here somewhere." Adam glanced out into the Craftman's Terrace. "Even if he doesn't there's a ship we can take."

Shaw shook his head. "Not a good idea. A ship is too confined and no escape other than the scrolls of teleportation and she'll be wary of those now."

The sentinels approached and the group talked of plans for another half hour before the potions were taken behind a screen. Kristie thought it was odd looking at herself move around the inn, as well as another Adam and another Maggie. She wished she could see herself in a mirror. She was sure it would seem odd looking at the face of a night elf when seeing her reflection.

The trio exited the inn, making sure not to move too closely to the others as the illusion would be seen through if someone stood right next to them. According to one of the sentinels the shop they wanted was not too far away. After a few minutes, they had found the shop and entered.

The male kaldorei was sitting at a desk, using a mortar and pestle on some dried herbs. He looked up and just watched them for a moment as they filed in. Once they were in, he stood up and walked over to them, furrowing his brow as he did so. "What can I do for you, today?"

Adam, knowing his voice was going to sound funny coming from a female sentinel, spoke up. "Mehlumis, My name is Adam. I met you earlier-"

"Ah, yes. the friend of Jelune and Ileeya. That explains your disguises. While effective for the most part, the illusions are not quite adequate for close quarters."

The three of them were silent for a moment surprised he had seen through their disguises. Then Maggie spoke. "SI:7 is in need of your help, sir. We are trying to leave Darnassus quietly and not through the usual means. We'll gladly pay for it."

He looked at each of them, squinting his eyes as though he were having trouble seeing them. "Where to?"

"The Exodar on Azuremyst Island."

"Ah. I can do that. However, may I make a suggestion?" At Maggie's nod, he continued. "Three illusionary sentinels is something people are bound to remember should anyone ask. Perhaps something more...casual. Yes. I think I have just the solution. Please excuse me for a moment." The mage muttered a few words, then disappeared.

Maggie, Adam, and Kristie just looked at each other. "Kinda eccentric." Adam commented.

"You think?" Maggie shook her head as she chuckled. "Although he has been helpful. Perhaps the best way to fight a mage is with another mage."

Mehlumis returned shortly, carrying what looked like some armor, a robe, and a cloak. "Jelune has been kind enough to give you some of his old armor. It may be a bit big, but can be adjusted." With a wave of his hand and a muttered spell, he removed the effects of the illusion potions. "Please put this on Adam."

Adam took the armor with some hesitation. A nod from Maggie and he began donning the mail. He wasn't used to wearing this type of armor. It was heavier than his usual leather, but at least lighter than the plate he had to wear when he had temporarily trained as a paladin. It was also cold and noisy. Definitely not something a rogue would normally wear. He then took the bow and arrows Mehlumis held out for him. At least he was familiar with this weapon to a degree.

The cloak and robe was handed to Maggie and she put them on over her leather gear. The robe was white with some delicate silver trimmings. The tan cloak had a large hood to cover her head. It was simple and unobtrusive in design.

"There. Now you no longer look like rogues. You are now a hunter and a priestess."

Adam snickered at Maggie's 'costume.' She took it in stride and posed for them. "I think it's lovely. Don't you?"

Mehlumis appraised Kristie for a moment, then went to a bookshelf and searched for a specific book. When he found what he was looking for, he returned. "Since you are willing to take the magical potions, I will assume you are not opposed to magic itself?"

Kristie shrugged. "I've never really thought about it. It's not something I can do. But I have nothing against magic."

"Good. Good." He handed her the book. On the cover it said, Rituals of the New Moon. "I daresay you may find it amusing. If you open it to the right page and speak the incantation, it will transform you into a giant wolf. You can easily transform back by-" He stopped talking as he saw how pale Kristie had become. "You do not care for transformations?"

"It's not that." Maggie explained as Adam put his arms around Kristie to reassure her. "She's been through an ordeal recently in which another mage tried to treat her like a pet. She was very crude about it."

"I'm sorry to hear it. And I apologize. I meant only to help."

"We know." Maggie removed her cloak. "I think Kristie will make a much better priestess than I anyhow." She smiled and removed the robe, then handed them to her before taking the book. "Besides, I think wolves suite me better."

Soon, the three exited the portal into the Exodar. If anyone bothered to take notice of them, they would only appear as a priestess and a hunter with his pet wolf. Adam checked them into the inn and they went up to their two rooms.

Once inside, Maggie transfomed back into her regular self with a wide grin. "I can see how that could have it's uses." She set the book down. "I'm going to go take a bath." She glanced at the two of them. "I trust I will not be interrupted this time. I may as well give you first watch, Adam. You have a promise to keep. Come get me in five hours." She left for the room next door.

Kristie felt self-conscious as Adam stared at her in the silence following Maggie's departure. She removed the cloak and draped it over the back of a chair. She then removed the robe. It was sweltering wearing her own clothes plus the robe and cloak. Now that she was back to just her regular clothes, she felt a little better. "So, ummm..." She felt the silence permeate the room as she tried to think of how to start the conversation.

Adam watched as she leaned against the chair in front of her. He briefly wondered if she even realized she had placed it between them. With a quick stride, he pulled her from behind the chair and wrapped an arm around her waist. The other hand reached up and caressed her cheek and he was rewarded as she leaned into the caress. "Thank you, for not slapping me when I kissed you." He wanted to kiss her again, but held back, knowing they needed to talk first.

Kristie couldn't help but let out a small laugh as a slight tinge colored her cheeks. She wasn't sure what to say. He seemed to realize this and he backed up, taking her hand. He led her to the table and sat her down. "Kristie, I- I care a lot about you and I think you care at least a little about me." He paused, not realizing he had held his breath until she slowly nodded her head and he let it out. He kissed the palm of her hand. "I want nothing more than to explore this relationship, but there are a few things we need to get taken care of first."

"Obviously, the first thing is we need Marisa to be caught."_ Or killed_, he thought to himself, but opted to not say that in front of her. "Hopefully that will all be over with by tomorrow." He sighed and looked her in the eyes. "Next, I need you to accept me as I am. You've had issues with...my job in the past. I help people. I know you don't like how I do it, but-"

"Adam."

He stopped, tensing up. Was she going to reject him now for putting this condition on their fledgling relationship?

"Due to recent...circumstances, I think I understand a little better now. I still don't understand it fully, but I will try to accept it."

Adam couldn't help himself this time. He leaned forward and kissed her, his heart swelling at her acceptance. When he finally pulled back, he leaned his forehead on hers and took a deep breath and let it out. "Now, before I start talking about myself, is there anything you need of me?"

Kristie was silent, lost in thought for a couple of minutes before she said, "May I get back to you on that?"

Adam nodded. It wasn't an answer he expected, but felt her response was reasonable. "Well then, I guess it's time to keep my promise."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Notes: <em>

_Sorry for the small cliff hanger. This chapter took forever to write due to life getting busy and I wanted to get it out.  
><em>

_*I can't seem to get a definitive timeline for exactly when the riots happened (I.e.~how long ago they happened from the point of the cataclysm). So, I'm going with this because in the comic, Anduin was an infant in him mother's arms when she died during the riot. _


	20. Chapter 20

_Thirteen years ago..._

"Can't we just not go and say we did?"

Ruben looked at his little brother and frowned. "That would be lying. Besides, you wouldn't get away with it. They are expecting you."

Adam sighed. "But I don't want to be a paladin. It's just...I don't know. It doesn't feel right to me."

Ruben stopped their journey to the Cathedral Square and looked at him. "What does feel right to you?"

Adam shrugged looking down at his feet. "I don't know. Just...not this."

Ruben ruffled his hair and smiled. "I don't particularly care about being a politician, but it's what father had groomed me for, and I didn't have much choice, either. However, I figure that maybe I can actually do some good once I get into office. Who knows, maybe paladin training will come in handy for you someday."

"I doubt it." Adam mumbled.

Ruben pulled Adam over to a bench and sat down with him. "Listen, things may not seem so hot right now for you, but they'll look up. Promise me something." Ruben looked into his brother's eyes to make sure he had his full attention. "No matter what happens, be true to yourself. When you come of age, do what _you _want instead of what dad wants. He may be upset. He may even disown you. But, you need to do what makes you happy."

"But..." Here he got even more serious. "And this is a big but... Don't forget that what you choose to do will have consequences. Now, those consequences can be helpful to yourself and others, or hurtful to yourself and others. It's your choice. Please realize that sometimes the best choice isn't the always the easiest."

Adam looked up at Ruben. "Is that why you went ahead and became a politician?"

Ruben smiled. "It sure is. I may not like what I do sometimes, but I'll be in a position to help people. And that is what I like. I tell you, dad is going to hate me the first time I vote against him on something."

Adam laughed with his brother. They finished making their way to the cathedral and Ruben left to attend his own government classes. He was in his last year of schooling. Once he graduated, he would join the House of Nobles. He only wished he could join sooner to help out with the current situation between them and the Stonemason's Guild.

Adam entered the Cathedral and turned to the left where a few different side rooms were. The second door from the front is the one where paladins go to learn the ways of the light as well as different creeds and rules of honor. The mornings were spent studying in the classroom, while the actual physical training took place outside after the lunch break.

He had been training as a paladin for almost a year now. Although he learned his creeds and doctrine well enough, he just didn't feel like it was for him. He appreciated the doctrine and what the Light could do to help others. He wouldn't deny that. Still, it was inevitable when Lord Grayson approached him during his fighting practice against a training dummy. "Boxley. You need to learn to move with your armor. You look like a clunky gnomish machine instead of a smooth fighter."

Adam stopped what he was doing and took his grey helmet off to wipe the perspiration off his forehead. "Sorry, sir. I'm not used to all the extra weight of the armor."

"That's why we put you in it... so you can get used to it." The trainer crossed his arms easily in front of him, despite his own armor. "Take a break, son. Come over here for a minute." The two walked to the shade of a tree.

Adam put his mace down and let it rest against the tree trunk. He wanted to take the plain gray armor of a paladin trainee off as well. He had been training with a mace for the past couple of months and the armor was added just yesterday. The students in his class were all expected to start wearing it to practices from now on. He wished he could switch to swords or daggers. They felt more comfortable in his hands than the heavy mace.

"You don't want to be a paladin, do you?" Lord Grayson was watching the other students practice in the distance. His comment was matter of fact.

Adam looked up at him. "Not exactly, sir."

"Uh-huh. Your parents want you to be a paladin?"

"Yeah."

"You've got some skills, kid. And it's kept you up with the others. But..." He glanced at the youth now. "...You're starting to fall behind. Repetition and skill can get you only so far. But only a natural talent can excel. Don't get me wrong. You could make a good paladin, just not a great one. I just don't think it's your natural calling."

Adam said nothing. It didn't matter if he had natural talent or not. His father said he was to be a paladin and that's what he was going to be unless by some miracle Aron Boxley changed his mind.

"I could talk to your parents, if you want."

"I don't think it'll do any good. I've never been able to change Dad's mind."

"Good afternoon, Lord Grayson." The voice belonged to none other than Queen Tiffen Wrynn. She was taking a walk with her baby, Prince Anduin. Her personal escort guards stood watchful nearby and Adam couldn't help but admit a little bit of envy of their jobs.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness. How are you and the prince today?"

"Fine. Fine. Anduin seems to really like going for walks. Lots of new things to see." She then looked at Adam and smiled. "Hello. I'm Tiffen."

Adam noticed she didn't bother using her royal title when she introduced herself. He smiled to himself that she seemed to think the need to introduce herself in the first place. Everyone knew who Queen Tiffen was. He liked how she didn't seem to be pretentious at all like many others who were of noble birth. "I'm Adam Boxley." He gave a bow as gracefully as he could in his practice armor.

"This is Lord Aron's and the late Lady Tanya's youngest son." Lord Grayson provided.

The baby in her arms squirmed a little and Adam looked at the little bundle, but couldn't see much past all the swaddling. Queen Tiffen noticed the young noble trying to see the prince, and she turned the bundle a bit so that he had a full view of Anduin. Adam grinned at the squirming infant then made a few faces at him. Anduin stopped squirming as his blue eyes watched the silly faces. Soon, he was beginning to giggle.

Queen Tiffen watched them with a smile. "You're good with babies, Adam."

Adam glanced at her, a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks, then shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, it's time for a certain cadet to get back to work." Lord Grayson looked at Adam as he said this. Taking the hint, Adam put his helmet back on and picked up his mace. He gave another bow to Queen Tiffen and Prince Anduin before returning to practice.

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful and Adam washed up in the training quarters before meeting Ruben on the cathedral steps to walk home together. Adam told his older brother about meeting Queen Tiffen and Prince Anduin as well as what Lord Grayson had said to him as they walked. Then Ruben told him about his day. "I think your day was more entertaining than my boring studies."

He glanced around at the people near them. "Let's hurry home, Adam. The people are getting more and more virulent every day this payment of the Stonemason's Guild is delayed." Adam knew the word 'delayed' was being generous. According to Ruben, the House of Nobles was refusing to pay them, saying they had believed the guild had rebuilt the city out of their love for it and they had not agreed to pay them. Some in the House felt the guild ought to be paid for their hard work. Ruben was one of them. But he was only a junior patrician, and not able to vote on issues. Unfortunately, most, like their dad, felt that since they had not been aware of the expectation of payment, and especially since they had spent most of their reserve funds on rebuilding the military, that they shouldn't pay the guild.

They got home a few hours before dinner. Aron Boxley was pacing back and forth, waiting for them. "About time you got home." He stopped his pacing and approached them, ignoring Adam and talking to Ruben. "There's rumors of a riot happening later. This is a perfect opportunity for you to practice your oratorical skills! I've written down some things to say, in case you need some help, but I'm sure you can do it on your own." He handed Ruben a piece of parchment before putting his arm around his eldest son's shoulders and leading him towards the door.

"Now, I want you to go out there and make a speech that will hopefully stop the riot. Rally the citizens to our side. Let them know how we've built up our military and we won't be caught off guard by orcs or anyone else again. Tell them how we're grateful for the charitable gifts of time and supplies to help us fortify our city. Let them know-"

"Dad? Seriously? You want me to go out into a crowd ready to riot and tell them _that?"_

Lord Aron frowned. "Ruben. The crowd hasn't listened to the House. I thought that if they could hear it from a more youthful source-"

"No. That's ridiculous! I'm not going out there."

Aron Boxley frowned and stiffened his back. "I never thought I'd see the day when one of my sons would turn out to be a coward."

"I'm no coward. I'm prudent."

"Ruben, I'm _ordering_ you to go out there and do your duty!"

Ruben fell silent for a moment, then he seemed to relax. "Well, since you put it that way..." He put the parchment in his pocket. "...I'll go just as soon as I grab a snack. Can't orate on an empty stomach now can I?" He left his father and hooked his arm around Adam's shoulder's. "Let's go get a snack, kiddo."

When they reached the kitchen, Adam looked up at his brother, worry filling his face. "You're not going to really go, are you?" After their mother had died a few years ago, it was Ruben who had done more to raise Adam than their own dad. For some reason, Ruben was Lord Aron's pride and joy, while Adam had been barely noticed by his dad, except when it came to his being a paladin.

Ruben glanced back to make sure their father hadn't followed them into the kitchen. Seeing the coast was clear, he turned to Adam. "I'm not about to do something stupid to appease father. That said, I'm going to do exactly as he told me." He gave an impish grin as he pulled out some dried meat and a couple of oranges for a snack.

Adam was confused. "But..."

"He told me to go out and do my duty. So that's what I'm going to do...My duty to the people of Stormwind. I'm not about to make a stupid speech that will just get me killed. Instead, I'm going to help people who need my help."

They sat down at the table and ate their snacks in silence. When they were done, Ruben became more serious. "Adam, I asked you to promise me something this morning. Do you remember what it was?" Adam nodded and repeated the request.

"Good. Now, I want to add one more thing to that." He paused and thought over just how he wanted to say the request. "We were born into a family of nobility. We are privileged in many ways, not so privileged in others. There are some things we take for granted that others must work hard for. However, with this privilege comes responsibility. It is our job to look after those under us. Many nobles have forgotten this, choosing to look after themselves first and their fellow citizens last." Again, he paused, a serious look coming into his eyes. "I've chosen to do what I think is right. I want to think of the citizens first, and myself after."

"You never think of yourself first?" Adam wondered aloud.

"Oh, I do. Sometimes one _has _to look after oneself first in order to better look after others. That's something you're going to have to figure out for yourself, Adam." Ruben glanced towards the door and then back at his brother. "I don't have much time. Dad's going to come in here soon. Adam, I don't think anything will happen to me, but if something should happen to me..."

"Nothing is going to-"

"_IF _something does happen, then I need to know that someone is going to continue the work I started. It's your choice. I'm not going to force you to do this. But I'll feel better if you're there to back me up."

Adam's face contorted in confusion. "You...want me to...become a politician?"

Ruben burst out laughing, but he quickly controlled his humor. "No. You'd be horrible!" He mussed up Adam's hair. "I just want you to be what you were meant to be, Adam. Do your duty and look after the people in your own style. Most of the other nobles aren't looking after the people like they should. Can you make a decision and promise to me that you will do your job?"

Adam didn't want to make the promise. Not because he didn't want to do his job as Ruben described it, but because he didn't want to acknowledge a possible future without his brother. But he knew that this was important to Ruben. So, with a swallow, he agreed. "I'll do my best to fulfill your dream, Ruben."

Hid older brother shook his head. "Not _my_ dream. My dream will die if I should die. Make it _your_ dream, Adam...and not because I want it...because it's what you want."

The youth nodded his head. "It _is _what I want, Ruben. And I promise to keep..._our _dream."

Ruben smiled and gave his brother a side hug. "Well said, kiddo." He stood up and stretched before stepping over to the kitchen door. "I won't be long. Keep dinner warm for me." He winked at his brother before leaving the kitchen. That was the last Adam ever saw of his brother.

A few hours later, Aron and Adam Boxley sat at the dinner table. There was an empty seat where Ruben normally sat. His dinner was still on the plate getting cold. Aron had finished his meal, but Adam was still picking at his food when a knock rapped at the door. Adam froze as he looked towards the door of the dining hall. He had not been dismissed, so he waited for the butler to answer the door. A murmur of words were exchanged and after a few minutes, the butler entered the dining hall with a royal messenger.

"Lord Aron, I was sent by Lord Tony Romano with some bad news."

Adam stiffened. His father had stood up and taken a few steps towards the messenger. Taking this as permission to get up from the dinner table himself, Adam stood as well, his heart pounding in his chest.

"A riot started within the city tonight. We don't know who threw it, but a stone was thrown into the balcony of the royal quarters where it hit Queen Tiffen in the head. Despite efforts at healing her, she succumbed to her injury and died in King Varian's arms. His royal highness has ordered the Stonemason's Guild out of the city. Any found within the city save those few who had accepted governmental jobs and had not participated in the riot, will be arrested immediately. It is advised that you stay in your home until tomorrow."

Lord Aron nodded his head. "Thank you, sir." He pulled out his coin purse and tipped the messenger before bidding him on his way. There was unspoken relief that the news wasn't about Ruben. But there was also grief for their queen. Adam remembered the woman he had met and spoken to just earlier that day. Still, he wondered why his dad didn't ask the messenger if there was any news on his brother.

"Why didn't you ask about-" Adam was cut off with a glare from his father.

"There is no need. Ruben is fine. He'll be home shortly."

Adam stood disbelievingly at the man. The room fell silent. A servant came to take Ruben's dinner away, and Adam stopped her. "No! He'll be hungry when he gets home. He said to keep his dinner warm. He's coming back to eat it. Leave it there!" He turned back to find that his father had left the room.

A couple of hours later, Aron heard another knock at the door. He waved off the butler and answered it himself. Adam stood on the other side of the room, a fear deep in his core began to gnaw at him. He couldn't hear the full conversation, but what he did hear was enough. "...found...Old Town...helping someone...trampled...very sorry...condolences."

When Aron Boxley turned around, pale and stricken, he stopped and made eye contact with his only remaining son. The two stood staring at each other in the darkened room for a long time. Slowly a burning emotion began to climb from deep within Adam's gut. It was fury. It was hurt. It was judgmental and accusing. He couldn't help himself. "Are you happy now?" His voice was deep with emotion. "Are you proud?" He sneered.

"Adam-"

"You sent him to his DEATH!" Adam's whole being was stiff with anger and hate. Accusing and tear-filled eyes stared at his father, daring him to deny it. Adam could feel himself start to shake with hurt and grief.

Aron Boxley stiffened as well. "Don't use that tone of voice with me, young man!"

"I'll use whatever damn tone of voice I want! He didn't want to go! He _told _you it was a bad idea! But, noooo... you _refused_ to listen to him and now-"

"Adam!"

He ignored his father's attempt at interrupting him. "-he's paid the ultimate price of your selfish, snobbish,-"

"ADAM!"

"-uncaring, pompous, ASS!"

"ENOUGH! Adam Boxley, go to your room until you've calmed down!"

Adam glared at him not moving. His voice lowered and full of acid. "You may as well have taken up a dagger and killed him yourself!"

Lord Aron raised himself to his full height, struggling to control his son. "As long as you live under my roof, you _will_ do as I say! Go to your room, _now!"_

Adam's brown eyes narrowed, his voice suddenly quieting. "Well, as long as you put it that way..." His voice dripped in the irony of repeating his late brother's words. Adam turned and left the room knowing it was going to be the last time he ever saw his father again.

**…**

_Present Day..._

"I went upstairs, packed only what I would need to survive on my own, and left the house. I severed all ties to Aron Boxley, never calling myself by that name again until..." He looked at her tear-stained face and handed her a handkerchief.

Kristie took the bit of cloth and wiped her eyes. "...Until you were forced to use it to defend my dad and I." She grasped his hand and held it to her cheek. "I didn't realize how much of a sacrifice that was for you. I'm sorry...and grateful." There was silence between them for awhile before she looked at him to ask her first question. "Where did you go from there?"

"Not Goldshire." His wry expression made her laugh softly. "Although I did stop to temporarily rest there. I didn't want to stay there. It was too close to Stormwind and I figured if...if anyone came after me, that would be the first place to look. So, I made my way to Lakeshire in the Redridge Mountains. There, I used a good chunk of the money I had with me to pay for some rogue training."

He laughed at himself, then. "It was a good thing we discovered it to be my natural talent because I was quite naive about money back then. I quickly found myself out of gold and needing to really work for a living for the first time in my life. I refused to access the Boxley bank account."

He entwined the fingers of one hand with hers, just enjoying her presence and this intimate moment between them. "I never forgot my promise, though. Once I was skilled enough, I began to offer my services to those in need of help. I was keeping my promise in my own style."

Kristie's eyes had been on their entwined fingers. "I understand now why your job is so important to you."

Adam smiled and pulled her hand up to kiss it. "I worked in Lakeshire for a number of years before being asked to help someone in Westfall. From there I eventually made my way to Booty Bay and took up a temporary residence there, occasionally leaving for the odd job here and there. It was difficult making ends meet sometimes, but I got by. Then, a month ago I got the invitation to join SI:7, get a steady income and a more permanent home. More importantly, I could do a better job at keeping my promise."

"And then when I thought things couldn't get any better, fate surprised me yet again." He stood up, pulling her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Shortly after my return to Stormwind, I was visiting my brother's grave when I just happened to see two bullies picking on a little girl and decided to help her...my way." He grinned at Kristie's recognition of this part of the story. "Little did I know I would get accosted by a wild woman with a chisel."

"You deserved it for scaring me to death!" Kristie tried to hit him, but he held her tightly to him, trapping her arms between them.

"Maybe. Maybe not. All I know is it brought you and Amy into my life." He felt her stop her struggles and relaxed his hold. One hand moved up to caress her cheek before he leaned forward, and kissed her lightly, slowly deepening the kiss.

After what seemed like forever lost in the kiss, he finally pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. "I could get used to you." She smiled and reached up to touch the scar above his left eyebrow. Then the smile disappeared and she looked down. Adam raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

Kristie sighed. "I just want this whole thing to be over."

Adam lifted her chin to look into her hazel eyes. "It will be. Shaw will catch her and we'll go back home. And then I'll hardly get to see you because you'll be so busy filling sculpture orders!" He was satisfied with the return of her smile. He then bent and hooked his arm behind her legs, lifting her up in his arms. He walked over to the bed. "Meanwhile, it's bedtime." He laughed as her eyes grew wide, then unceremoniously dropped her on the bed. "_You _get go to sleep. While _I _get to stand over there..." He smirked. "...and watch you sleep."

Kristie muttered, "Like I'm supposed to be able to sleep with someone staring at me."

Adam sat on the edge of the bed. "Come here." He saw her hesitate and gave her a reassuring smile. "Trust me." She moved next to him, and just like the previous night, he leaned back against the headboard and wrapped his arms around her, letting her use his chest as a pillow. One hand gently stroked her hair and soon he felt her relax. It took longer than before, but she eventually fell asleep against him.

Adam stayed where he was for about half an hour longer until he felt himself start to relax too much. With regret, he gently moved her head onto a pillow and stood up to go make himself some coffee. Yes, he definitely could get used to being with Kristie. A small part of him was troubled with this, though. For the last thirteen years he relied only on himself and was pretty much a loner. Now, almost all of a sudden, he was in a guild and part of a team who relied on him, and whom he was learning to rely on as well. And now... Adam glanced in Kristie's direction.

He knew himself well. He knew her spirit fit him. But now was not the time to settle into a new relationship. They had to take care of Marisa first. He didn't want the relationship to be based on fear of someone else. He and Kristie had been thrown together in this unasked for adventure. While he admitted to himself an attraction to her before the danger, he had no idea if her attraction to him was due to the situation they were in, or if she truly cared for him outside of the danger. Only time will tell.


	21. Chapter 21

Kristie was in that blissful state of just coming to consciousness where she was still asleep enough to be very relaxed, but awake enough to begin making coherent thoughts. And her thoughts were first and foremost of Adam and their conversation last night. She recalled going to sleep against his chest and was surprised at how simple a motion such as stroking her hair had relaxed her so easily. She made a mental note to ask him sometime where he had learned that...or if it was just something that came naturally.

She slowly opened her eyes to see Maggie watching her with an amused smirk on her face. Kristie blinked and immediately wondered why the woman was so amused. She was starting to get to know the agent well enough that when she had that look on her face, it meant that something was up.

Kristie took in a deep breath and let it out to get her blood pumping and as a result wake herself up some more. She was on her side so she rolled to her back to stretch, but came up against something hard. At the same time, she realized there was something heavy on her stomach. She looked down and nearly gasped at the site of an arm draped across her mid-section. Her head immediately turned to see the arm was attached to a tanned and muscular back.

Kristie's eyes grew wide. Had Adam been sleeping there all night? No. He had at least gotten up and removed his leather vest and tunic...not to mention he was on the other side of her now than he was last night. A quiet snicker across the room told her that she now knew why Maggie had been so amused. Kristie threw her a glare as she tried to gently move Adam's arm from around her without waking him, only to find it automatically tighten. Now what?

Kristie decided to try and squirm her way out from under his arm. Her efforts were met with a muffled, "I'm trying to sleep, woman."

"Then remove your arm so I can get up then you can sleep all you want!" She snapped back. The reply was muffled in the pillow so she couldn't understand what he said, but it was obvious the answer was no because his arm remained firmly where it was. Maggie burst out laughing and Kristie turned to snap at her now. "You could help, you know!"

"Oh but this is much too amusing!" Maggie's green eyes sparkled.

Kristie fumed. Now this was totally unfair, two against one. Adam's torso began to shake in the telltale sign of silent laughter now. She glanced around her and spied the pitcher of fresh water on the side table. With a wicked grin, she reached out, grabbed it, then dumped the cold water onto Adam's bare back. He let out a yelp and jumped up in shock and Kristie took advantage of the opportunity to escape. She jumped up and was across the room in a flash.

"Oh, you want to play it that way, do you?" Adam had a feral grin, with an amused look in his eyes as he slowly climbed out of the bed, revealing some tan trousers and bare feet.

Kristie quickly jumped behind Maggie who protested. "Hey! I'm not a shield!"

"You're supposed to be protecting me." Kristie was starting to laugh herself now.

"Yeah... from bad guys, not a rudely awoken rogue." Maggie deftly danced away from Kristie just as Adam dashed forward, grabbing Kristie and tickling her sides. Kristie squealed and struggled to get away from him, but he was clearly able to keep her #easily trapped.

Finally, she had to relent and cried out "Uncle! Uncle!" She laughed again. "Please stop." He did as asked and the three had to take few minutes to catch their breaths from all the laughter. Finally, Kristie stood up straighter, rubbing her sides. "Now, why were you sleeping next to me instead of your own bed in the other room?"

Maggie answered for him. "Because I asked him to."

Surprised, Kristie glanced over at the female rogue. "Why?"

"You were having some more nightmares. And since I knew he had calmed you before, I got him up and suggested he sleep next to you. It helped. Almost as soon as he lay down next to you, you seemed to calm down and had stopped thrashing about." Maggie grinned. "And before you make any protests, remember that I've been standing here the whole time. I wouldn't let anything happen other than sleep."

"And all I got for my honorable effort was a cold splash of water, denying me the extra sleep I need...and the loss of something warm and comfortable I could snuggle up with."

Kristie felt contrite until he made his last comment. She couldn't help herself for making one last gibe at him. "You needed a shower anyhow."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" He started towards her again only to stop a few paces away, sniff the air, and then say, "I'm not the only one." He then dodged the pillow she threw at him and laughed. "Since I was denied my beauty sleep, I get the bath first." He disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door.

**...**

A couple of hours later the three of them exited their rooms to explore The Exodar. They were in their disguises from yesterday, hunter, priestess, and wolf. As they entered the Vault of Lights, they joined a touring group who were learning about the holographs depicting various demon's and other persona's from the Burning Legion.

Kristie was in awe. "Our people fought against that?" She knew of the Burning Legion of course, but had only imagined what it was like. Nothing she imagined was anywhere near what she saw before her. She glanced at Adam and Maggie in her wolf form. "Did either of you go to Outland?" Both shook their heads.

"I opted to stay home and look after our people here." He glanced at Maggie who nodded her furry head. "Looks like Maggie did the same."

As they moved on to another hologram, a dwarven family with a small boy joined them. The little dwarven boy was a bit rambunctious and found the museum boring. To entertain himself, he began moving up and down the stairs. Unfortunately, one of the stairs had a crack in it, and he had gotten his foot stuck in it. The boy's father quickly helped him out, but the ankle was swollen and sprained.

To Kristie's dismay and discomfort, the mother looked to her. "Can ye heal our son?" Kristie opened her mouth, then closed it. How can she tell the mother she did not know how?

Adam spoke up for her. "She is merely a novice, just starting her training."

"Surely this is nae too hard ta heal."

"I...can't. I'm sorry."

"What's going on here?" A flurry of motion surrounded them as guards and a human priest came over to them.

"Our son fell and hurt 'imself on th' stairs, and tha' so-called priestess is refusin' t' heal 'im. Tha's what's goin' on 'ere."

Kristie felt mortified as the human knelt down and said a quick prayer of healing. The boy stopped his crying and the family gave grateful thanks.

When the priest stood up, he turned his blue eyes on Kristie, waiting for an explanation. Kristie realized he was just a teenager, yet his face and body language spoke volumes of a maturity beyond this age. She heard a sharp intake of breath from Adam and glanced at him. Adam was giving the boy a bow and it suddenly occurred to Kristie why the priest had seemed familiar. It was Prince Anduin!

Kristie immediately fell to one knee and bowed her head until she heard the crown prince ask her to please stand. Adam was the first to speak. "Your Highness. May we have a moment of your time? We can explain." With a nod, Anduin and his guards moved with them to a small area bereft of other museum guests.

The group stood in a small circle with Maggie on Adam's left and Kristie on his right. The prince, of course, had his two guards on either side of him. "My name is Adam. I and my partner, Maggie, are SI:7 agents assigned to protect Miss Kristie Alexston, here. The priestess outfit is just her cover, as we are trying to prevent someone from finding and killing her."

Prince Anduin glanced from Adam to Kristie. "Why is someone trying to kill you?"

"I, uh-" She glanced at her hands and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. It still bothered her to admit to killing someone, but she no longer saw the blood on her hands. "I killed someone to save my friends."

"She did more than save us, Your Highness. Because she saved us, we were able to save the hostages."

"Hostages?" Prince Anduin had to recall reports sent to him of recent Stormwind activities. Those reports had mentioned hostages, and how the situation had been taken care of. But there were no details of the event. "Ah, yes. I'm sorry. The reports I get are not very forthcoming with details. Who are you hiding from?"

"Marisa du'Paige."

At this point, Maggie moved in front of Kristie and transformed out of her wolf form. "Excuse me, Your Highness. I'm Maggie Strome and in charge here. I'm sorry for not coming out of wolf form right away, but I didn't want to blow my cover. However, the room is now clear of guests." They all glanced around to see that indeed they were alone. "I'm afraid we must be moving on. As we _are_ protecting Miss Alexston, there is a possible danger to yourself. I'm sure Marisa would have no compunction to do something to yourself as well as to Kristie if she had the opportunity."

"You're right. She wouldn't." The small group turned to see Matthias Shaw approach and stop just outside their circle. "I would like a word with you alone, Miss Alexston. Please step over here. Your Highness, perhaps you should hear this as well."

Kristie stepped closer, wondering if it was good news or bad. But why would the prince need to hear it and not Adam and Maggie? "Did you get her?" She asked as she approached.

"Kristie! Get back!"

Kristie's head snapped to the side to see...Matthias Shaw? This one was a bit more disheveled as though he had been in a fight recently. His armor bore scorch marks. With there being two Shaws, Kristie stopped her forward progress and immediately stepped back. Prince Anduin's guards quickly pulled him back and stepped in front of him.

Unfortunately for Kristie, the first Shaw reached out and grabbed her, the illusion quickly shattering to reveal Marisa du'Paige! Kristie only got a glimpse of her madly triumphant eyes before she was swung around and pulled close, a dagger pressed against her throat. The first person Kristie could see as she was whipped around was Adam. He looked ready to explode.

The real Mathias Shaw approached slowly. "This is going nowhere, Marisa. You can't escape all of us. If you kill her, there'll be nothing to stop us from killing you."

Marisa gave a maddened laugh at this. Everyone was looking at Kristie and Marisa, so only Kristie saw Markus come out of stealth right behind Prince Anduin! "Your Highness! Look out!" Kristie felt the dagger cut into her skin as Marisa tightened her hold. But the warning was too late as Markus in a flash reached around the teen's neck and held his dagger there.

Marisa's laugh became louder. By now some of the Exodar's guards were starting to take notice and come into the museum to investigate. As everyone had looked to save the prince, Kristie could feel Marisa move her free arm. She ripped Kristie's sleeve, exposing the skin underneath. A second later, something was placed on her shoulder and Kristie cried out in pain as she felt something dig into her shoulder.

Adam turned back and took a step towards her, but Marisa fixed a hard look at him. "Another step and she'll die now rather than later." Kristie`s heart beat hard and fast as she felt herself being dragged backwards. She saw Markus back away from the others as the two enemies drew closer together.

Marisa muttered a few words and a portal appeared nearby. Mathias stepped forward. "I can't let you leave with the prince." His eyes flickered to Kristie as though to apologize and she knew he was ready to sacrifice her to keep the crown prince safe. "And if you kill him, there'll be nowhere to hide from his father, Lo'Gosh."

Mathias used Varian's other name on purpose. He had to remind the woman just who she was dealing with when it came to Anduin. King Varian had been a gladiator for a short time when he had lost his memory. He was called Lo'Gosh because when he fought, it was as though he took on the heart of the great wolf spirit.

"Oh, there's no worry for that." Marisa spoke derisively. "He won't be looking for me because _I'm_ not going to be the one to kill him." She formed a fireball in her free hand. Kristie could feel the intense heat of it before the woman threw it towards the group standing there, scattering them. In that moment, Kristie felt herself shoved into the prince and the two of them tumbled through the portal.

Marisa gave a triumphant laugh as Shaw slammed into her before she could follow them. Stumbling to the side, she closed the portal, willing to get herself caught before letting them go after Kristie and Anduin. But she wasn`t intending to get caught. She cast a cone of cold air towards the group, slowing their movements enough to then cast her own teleportation spell. In the middle of casting her spell, however, she felt herself go silent, the spell interrupted. Looking around, she saw a night elf standing near where Mathias had entered. Another mage. She glowered at him, ready to cast an arcane bolt in his direction when someone crashed into her.

Marisa fell hard to the ground. A look above her told her it was the one called Adam. She could see pure hatred in his eyes as his hand grasped her throat. "Where did you send her!" His voice was low and gutteral, betraying more of an emotion than that of a simple bodyguard.

Marisa's eyes alighted to this new knowledge. "Ooo...Did I just send away a loved one?" She laughed in his face, stopping only when he tightened his grip on her neck cutting off her air.

"I've had enough with the du'Paige's messing with my loved ones." Adam felt his rage drive him as he could see her struggle to breathe beneath him. His total focus was on her, not hearing or seeing anyone or anything else. So he was surprised when Shaw knocked him off of Marisa.

"We can't get information out of her if you kill her Boxley!" Adam glared at Shaw as the SI:7 leader pulled out a collar with a light blue jewel in it, and quickly put it around Marisa's neck. "Now, where are they, Marisa?"

Marisa only gave a mad smile. "It doesn't matter! By the time you or anyone else finds her, she'll have died the slow and painful death she deserves! And as for the boy, he can do nothing to help her or himself...if he even survives."

With reluctance, Adam, stood up, only then noticing that Markus had been polymorphed into a sheep. He threw a glance to his right to see Mehlumis approach. "I'm sorry I arrived too late to help your friends, Adam."

Adam ignored him for now, as he glared at Marisa. "You better be wrong, witch! I won't let it happen again! Not when I can do something about it!" He spun and walked away, knowing he had to calm himself down before he ignored Shaw's warning and drive his dagger into her gut.

Maggie finished binding Marisa's wrists, perhaps a little too tightly. She glanced at Adam's retreating back and then at Shaw. Mathias shook his head. "Let him cool off. First thing's first. We need to get Prince Anduin and Kristie back." He glanced at one of the Exodar guards who had arrived. "We need a private room for interrogation." The guard hesitated only briefly because he wasn't familiar with the agent, but at a nod of one of the the prince's royal guards, he turned to lead them away.

Mathias turned to ask Mehlumis a question, but stopped as he saw the mage with his hand up and eyes closed in the spot where Anduin and Kristie had disappeared. "What are you doing?"

Mehlumis opened his eyes and lowered his hand. "I was attempting to trace the ley lines of the portal. Unfortunately, because she closed the portal so quickly, I was unable to tell where she sent them. I am sorry."

"You tried. I'm grateful for that. But I need to get this information as soon as possible. I could use your help."

Mehlumis glanced in the direction Adam had left as though he wanted to go after him, but changed his mind and nodded towards Shaw. "Very well."

Maggie allowed the guard to take charge of the prisoners as she fell back into step with Shaw. "What the fel happened back there, Shaw?" She knew she was on the border of insubordination but she didn't care. She had lost her ward and she was pissed. Not only that, but she was beginning to look on Kristie as a friend.

Shaw gave her a growl, but didn't reproach her for her tone of voice or question. "We should have known better than to think she would just waltz into our little trap. She was expecting it." He then told her about how earlier this morning, the disguised sentinels were alerted to intruders. They had attacked who they thought had been Marisa only to find out it was just a temporary clone. They had given themselves away by doing so.

He had just finished his shift and was sleeping when the commotion awoke him. Seeing Marisa in the room, he quickly attacked only to find out it was another clone. He had quickly searched for the mage, but just as he had spotted her, she had already gotten a fireball spell off. Though he was able to avoid the full impact, he wasn't able to avoid the large ball of flame entirely.

The sentinels had been fighting Omar, Terrel, and Morgaine while he had fought Marisa and Markus. As he dodged a blow from Markus, Marisa had been able to shoot a frostbolt into him, slowing his movements and Markus had stunned him.

Using her magic, she had tried to extract information from him, but he had been able to mentally block it due to extensive training. Then, as the others led the sentinels away, she had walked around the room, spotting some parchment and a stylus. Then telling him that there was more than one way to get information, she had muttered a spell on the top parchment and it revealed what Shaw had written on the parchment that had been on top of the pile.

It was then that Marisa had given him a smirk and told him how turnabout was fair play. She took her own potion of illusion, then used her magic to change her voice into his. After that, she had left Omar to take care of him. Shaw called Omar an idiot and he had easily gotten away from him. But it took some precious time for him to find Mehlumis and get him to make a portal. Apparently, the mage had decided to follow.

Maggie listened to Shaw's story and nodded her head. She had one more question. "Did you know that Prince Anduin was continuing his studies here?"

Shaw nodded his head. "I didn't think you and he would cross paths." His eyes narrowed. "Nor did I dream that you would cross his path right when Marisa showed up!" By that time, they had arrived at the room and entered. Mathias was all business now as he gave Marisa a hard look. "Turnabout is fair play after all." He stepped aside to let Mehlumis use his magic to try and extract the information from her.

**…**

Kristie blinked at the sudden bright light. She felt something hot and coarse under her hands and as her eyes adjusted to the bright light, she saw that it was sand. Lots of sand. Her gaze shifted to her surrounding area only to see more sand dotted with some rocks here and there. A pain automatically brought her hand to her left shoulder and she felt something rectangular attached there. Turning her head, she saw something made of stone and metal with some intricate designs etched into it. There was a slight glow to those etchings. A closer inspection revealed the four corners of the object to be curved down into her skin.

Kristie gripped the object and tried to pull it off, only to quickly let go as more pain ripped into her arm and began to coarse throughout her body. She groaned from the pain and nearly passed out when she felt the pain suddenly stop and die down a bit, though it didn't go away completely.

"Are you okay?" Kristie startled at Prince Anduin's voice. She had nearly forgotten that he had fallen through the portal with her. It must have been him who healed her pain. Well, most of it anyways.

"Not exactly. Whatever this is, it's causing pain. Trying to take it off makes the pain unbearable."

He looked at the enchanted object and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know what it is. Does it hurt only when you try to remove it? Or all the time?"

"All the time...just worse when I tried to pull it off."

"What if I try to heal you and take it off at the same time?" At Kristie's nod, the prince began saying his healing prayers as he tried to pull it off. The healing light held back the pain to a degree, but as he pulled, the pain quickly escalated and even his heals could not eradicate it. Her tears and whimpers of pain told him to stop his attempts. "I guess it stays until we can get some help from someone who knows what this is and how to remove it safely."

Kristie nodded and took a moment to recover before looking around again, realizing for the first time that they were alone. A part of her knew that already, but now it seemed to really hit her. "No agents. No guards."

Anduin looked at her with a question in his face. "It's just us."

"But, Your Highness, I'm not able to protect you. Adam taught me a few defensive moves but..."

Anduin couldn't help but chuckle as he put a hand on her arm. "Believe it or not, I can protect myself, and you even."

Kristie gave him a smile and took a moment to recompose herself as best she could with the constant pain pouring into her arm. "I apologize. I'm...not used to being in situations like this. I'm sorry that you got dragged into my troubles,Your Highness."

Anduin smiled. "I needed a break from my studies anyhow." He then glanced around the desert landscape. "The first thing we need to do is figure out where we are."

"Unfortunately, I've never travelled outside of Stormwind, Goldshire, and Ironforge." She tried to recall maps of the world from her schooling, but it wasn't exactly her best subject.

Anduin bent down and picked up some sand. "Cream, a bit rough, but not too rocky." He looked over at the rocks jutting out of the ground a bit farther away. "Dark brown rocks." He let the sand fall and wiped his hands. "The ground is too flat for Desolace and too light for badlands or any of the Eastern Kingdoms deserts for that matter. My guess is Uldum or Tanaris. Most likely Tanaris."

Kristie watched him with a bit of new respect...not that she didn't respect him before. "So, what do you suggest, oh smart one?" She gave him a wink and a smile to show she meant nothing bad by her comment. The smile was short lived as another wave of pain swept outward from her arm. The more it pulsed into her shoulder, the more she could feel it into the rest of her. She also noticed now that although there was a constant trickle of pain at all times, it would occasionally send a blast of intense pain into her shoulder.

Anduin grinned but quickly became serious. "My first thought is to stay here until they come for us. But who knows what happened after we went through the portal. And with that thing attached to you, I have a feeling we may need to get some help as soon as possible." His eyebrows came together briefly as he thought for a minute. "If we are in Tanaris, then Gadgetzan should be to the east somewhere."

He glanced up to the sky and sighed. "Unfortunately, it's noon. I can't tell which direction the sun had risen or which direction it is setting."

Kristie sighed. "So, stay here until we see a difference in which direction the sun moving? That way we give Adam and the others a chance to come after us."

"True. But we also give Marisa a chance to come after us as well."

Kristie nodded her head, but frowned as a thought occurred to her. "Maybe not. I mean, why send us through the portal and not come herself? Unless they stopped her from following, but then wouldn't they be here by now if they did?" Kristie found herself rambling.

"We wait. Don't over think it. If she shows up, we'll deal with it."

She sighed and decided to sit down on her cloak to rest herself. "I suppose it's not a good idea to travel in this heat anyhow." She realized she didn't need to be so hot in her priestess robe and took it off. The stupid thing didn't keep Marisa from finding her anyhow.

As they sat there, Kristie began to get thirsty. She also began to be acutely aware that they had no supplies whatsoever. No water. No food. No weapons. Looking at the prince, she figured he must know this. How will they survive? She felt a wave of pain again. Anduin came over to give her some healing again, but she waved him off. "I don't know a lot about magic and the Light and such, but I know it takes a certain amount of energy from you to use it. I can tolerate this pain for awhile. I don't want you wasting your energy, Your Highness."

"Please, call me Anduin. I just don't see this as a place for such formality." He moved back, not healing her, per her request.

"Then you can call me Kristie."

An hour passed and there was still no sign of rescue. So, Kristie lay out the priestess robe with the arms at an angle so that it looked at least somewhat like an arrow to what Anduin had determined to be east. The two set off in that direction.

Anduin asked her about the hostage situation she had been in and she told him her part in it. He then told her a little of what it is like to grow up as the crown prince of Stormwind. Kristie laughed at his comment on how he could get pretty bored couped up in the Keep most of the time. "You should meet Amy," she declared.

"Who's Amy?"

"Amy Masters. She's an orphan that Adam and I have been looking after." She paused to let another wave of pain pass. "She's a great kid and it will probably make her year if the prince came for a visit."

"Maybe I will. The other orphans would probably appreciate it as well." He glanced at her mention of Adam's name. "Adam...the same who was guarding you?"

Kristie nodded her head. "We, uh, were just forming a friendship before all this mess started." She fell silent as she thought of him.

"You two are more than friends now, though?" He looked hesitate to pry into her life, but he was hoping to keep her mind off the pain she was in. She may not notice it, but he could see her start to pale.

"He's...very dear to me now. And I know he cares about me..." She fell silent again, but this time, it wasn't because of self-contemplation. She had spotted something in the distance. This something was moving.

Anduin followed her gaze and quickly tried to think of options. "It looks like three people, but I can't tell who. They may be friendly or not."

"Even if they aren't, we have nothing to steal."

"There's more than gold to worry about, Kristie."

She glanced at him. He was right. But she didn't think they could avoid it as the three ahead began to adjust their course and head towards them. As they got closer, Kristie's pale face grew even paler as she saw three figures she had never in her life seen before other than in pictures. An orc, a troll, and a tauren approached. Horde. And here she was with the prince of Stormwind and no way to protect him!

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: Yeah, originally, I was just going to have Anduin make a brief cameo appearance, but as I wrote this, I couldn't help but think the poor protected prince needed to get out a little more and have an adventure of his own. :) So, instead of Kristie making the journey in the desert by herself as I originally planned, she gets to have some royal company. This should be interesting.<em>


	22. Chapter 22

Kristie looked at Prince Anduin and immediately began to make adjustments to his clothing, making it look more used. She ignored the looks he was giving her. "Stop standing so straight. Slump your shoulders a bit more." She mussed his hair, and only had just enough time to whisper to him, "You are _not_ Prince Anduin. You're my brother." She made a mental note to herself to never again judge someone on whether they had lied before or not.

By this time, the horde members had arrived and surrounded them. They spoke among themselves, while looking at them. Kristie had no idea what they where saying. She did, however, notice the weapons they held at the ready. Her heart pounded against her chest as she recalled various horror stories of orcs and trolls and what they do to their prisoners. She hoped beyond hope to put on a show of being simple peasants with no military connections, and therefore unworthy of even bothering to be taken prisoner.

The large green orc was the loudest and angriest. She couldn't believe how strong he looked to be. He was all muscle. Two small tusks jutted upwards from his wide lower jaw. His head was nearly bald except for a long ponytail gathered at the top. He rode upon a huge brown wolf that seemed to be eyeing them as a possible snack.

The troll had a blue tint to his skin. If he stood upright, he'd be at least nine feet tall. He had two long tusks protruding from each side of his mouth. His bright red hair was set in a mohawk that just seemed to accentuate his long ears and beady gray eyes. He rode upon what looked to be a ferocious looking raptor. Kristie couldn't help but wonder if it wanted to tear her apart just because it can.

The tauren had a black mane that was braided on each side of her head. Her fur was white underneath the leather armor she wore. She had two short horns growing on each side of her head. Her green eyes were watching her in silence. She then turned her attention to Anduin and studied him for a moment. Finally, she interrupted the other two, saying something to which she earned a glare from them both.

She climbed off the huge beast she rode and stepped up to Kristie and Anduin, holding her staff at the ready. "My companions are arguing whether to kill you or take you prisoner back to Orgrimmar." Kristie knew she shouldn't have been surprised the tauren could speak common, but she was. "I'm more curious as to why you are out in the middle of nowhere with no supplies to be seen."

Kristie spoke up quickly before her fears could stop her. "I pissed off a mage and she sent us to the desert. My brother and I would be grateful for any information as to where we are, and possibly point us to the nearest neutral or alliance city. And perhaps some water or food?"

The tauren gave a slightly surprised look, then said something in orcish. The other two laughed. Kristie didn't like the sound of it. "What are your names?"

"My name is Kristie Alexston and this is my brother An-dy" She almost said Anduin, but stopped herself in time, she hoped. She was unaccustomed to needing to lie.

The tauren's ears flicked back and forth as she silently observed them for a few minutes. "Do you not realize there is a war going on between our people?" Her low alto voice held no clues as to whether she was going to help them or not.

Kristie nodded slowly. "I realize that. But I'm obviously no warrior. I'm a simple sculptress. Andy is but a novice priest. We are in the wrong place we should be. We-" She winced as a wave of pain emerged from the object on her shoulder. Anduin put a steadying hand on her arm and she felt his healing light ease the pain. Her hand automatically went to the object on her arm.

The troll dismounted, saying something in orcish. He approached Kristie, grabbing her arm. Anduin refused to move out of the way and the prince and troll stared hard at each other. "Move aside, youngling, or I be teachin' ya a lesson you'll not be forgettin."

"Andy." Kristie feared what the troll wanted, but worried more for the prince. He looked at her, then stepped back. He remained close, however.

The troll ignored Anduin and looked closer at the object on her arm. After a minute, he dropped her arm and looked at Kristie's face. He was so close his long tusks nearly scrapped her cheeks. Kristie unconsciously stepped back, not wanting to be any closer to the troll. The troll muttered something in his own language, then spoke common. "Dat mageling musta been more dan pissed, girly, if dat be what I thinkin' it is."  
>The troll backed off and spoke orcish to the orc and tauren. There were looks between the horde members and Kristie. She glanced at Anduin who shrugged. Finally, the tauren approached. "What did you do to piss off the mage?"<br>Kristie hesitated. It would be hard to convince them they were peaceful if she admitted to killing someone. But, she couldn't think of anything else to say. "I was trying to save some friends from her." She looked away, not wanting to look into the tauren's eyes. "It was self defense."  
>"What did you do, girly?" The troll asked more harshly.<br>Kristie hesitated again, trying to think of a more...gentle term for it, but could come up with nothing. The troll stepped over, pulling out an axe. Anduin stepped in front of her as Kristie automatically stepped back in fear. "I killed her partner!"  
>The troll stopped and narrowed his gray eyes. He muttered something in orcish and the orc finally dismounted, saying something back. "Druk'thar be askin' how a weaklin' like you kill someone."<br>"I stabbed him while he was mind-controlling my friend."  
>The orc studied her, then the three spoke for a few minutes. Finally, the orc went to his mount to get something as the troll spoke again. "If dat thing on your arm be what I think it is, den you be dead in a few days."<br>"What is it?" Kristie didn't like what the troll was saying and hoped he was wrong.  
>"A Morsuleto Runestone, da bite of da killin' pain."<br>Kristie's heart beat faster at the name of the object. "Do you know how to remove it?"  
>"No, girly. Only a powerful magling can remove da stone. Attemptin' otherwise only result in speedin' up da process."<br>By this time, the orc came back with some rope and Kristie became even more alarmed. She didn't know why, but she had thought they might help them. Anduin turned towards her, and put a calming hand on her arm. He looked in her eyes. "We'll be okay, Kristie."  
>Kristie calmed down to a degree. Her instincts all told her to run. It was with all the strength she could muster just to stay put. That is, until the orc made a loop with the rope and raised it above her head. Panic took hold and she ducked away and skittered to the side, fear overcoming her. "No. No." She shook her head as she tripped and fell into the sand. She continued moving away from the scowling orc who now lowered the rope to grab at his sword.<br>She suddenly found herself surrounded by roots and the tauren approached. "You're only making things worse for yourself by trying to escape."  
>Kristie gulped in some air as she tried to push back the terror that had suddenly overcome her. She closed her eyes and tried to speak, couldn't, then swallowed and tried again. "Please don't...no rope around my neck. I beg of you. Anywhere else." She knew she was babbling, but had no clue that she would have such a reaction. It was the first time someone had brought a rope before her since her previous escape.<br>The roots moved away, but Kristie didn't move. Anduin moved over to her and once again used the Light to calm her. He had a worried expression on his face. The terror was slowly replaced with mortification at how she had just acted in front of the prince. She couldn't look him in the eyes. A grumble was the only warning before she was whisked to her feet and the rope tied around her wrists. The orc was not happy with her.  
>"He be wonderin' how ya kill someone if ya be such a coward." The troll was looking at her with some disdain now. Kristie didn't answer him. The orc moved on to tie up Anduin's wrists with the same rope, leaving a length between them.<br>The tauren pulled out a water skin and gave them some to drink. "We're taking you to Gadgetzan. If you survive that far, we'll leave you there. Your brother will come with us to Orgrimmar."  
>Kristie looked at Anduin who gave a flash of a warning look before hiding his expression from the horde. She couldn't let him fall into their hands. But what could she do? Looking up at the tauren, she implored with her eyes, whispering, "Please. Don't take my brother. Our family needs him. He's done nothing to you."<br>The tauren looked at the orc an troll for a moment. They were getting back onto their mounts. The end of the rope was tied to the wolf's saddle. She looked back to Kristie. "It's not up to me." She then got on her own mount, and the small party started off.

Adam paced back and forth just outside the interrogation room. Shaw had refused him entrance, stating that he was too emotional. Maggie remained outside with him leaning against the wall watching him. Shaw, Mehlumis, and the priest they had in there were enough to get the information they needed out of her. It just took time...time which Kristie and Anduin may not have. It had already been a number of hours since the interrogations had begun. As they waited, she had informed him of all that Shaw had told her of the failed trap.  
>No one had informed King Varian of his missing son, just yet. There seemed to be a silent agreement to try and get him back fast before he was missed. None of them wanted to see the king go off the deep end. Nor did they want to suffer his anger at failing to protect his son. But if they didn't get information soon, they would have to deal with it and inform the king.<br>Of course, while she knew he was concerned about the prince, she also knew he was much more concerned about Kristie. "We'll get to them in time, Adam. Kristie may not be a fighter..." She ignored the glare he threw at her. "But she's a survivor. She has her wits. And she has Prince Anduin. They'll look after each other until we can get to them."  
>Her words seemed to do nothing to reassure him. She didn't blame him. However, there was more than one way to distract him, though. A moment's conversation with the guard outside the door, Maggie told Adam to follow her. Just a few doors down, she lead him into an empty room. There was only a table with two chairs inside. She moved those to the side so they would be out of the way. Then, without warning, she did a roundhouse kick and stopped short at his chest. He didn't flinch.<br>"That's the only time I'm pulling my punch." She stepped back and shot her left hand forward, making contact with his chest. Adam was knocked back. He seemed to come to his senses and with a growl, charged after her. The two dodged, swung, kicked, jumped, tumbled, and punched their way through his charged emotions. About forty minutes later they stopped, both out of breath.  
>"Nice display of your abilities." Shaw was at the door watching them. They had no idea how long he had been standing there.<br>Adam was quickly on his feet and approaching him. "Did you find out where she is?"  
>Shaw shook his head. "Not yet. However, we think she's breaking down." He watched Adam sigh in exasperation and run a hand through his brown hair. "She seems to know she can't hold out much longer. She's made a request." Adam looked back at him. "She wants to talk to you." Adam said nothing. He only marched out of the room quickly heading towards the interrogation room.<br>The room was small and certainly crowded with Marisa, Markus, Adam, Shaw, Maggie, Mehlumis, and the draenai priest in there. But the only one Adam saw was the woman sitting tied up in the chair in the center of the room. He said nothing, only stared at her with a hard look. She was the one who wanted to talk to him. He only wanted to know one thing, and she knew it.  
>Marisa looked tired. Though she still held herself erect and defiant, her shoulders were a bit more slooped. Her steel-gray eyes were more sunken. Indeed, she will break soon under the onslaught from the mage and priest. Still, she knew she still had some control over the situation. And she was going to do things her way to the end.<br>Throughout the interrogations and mind probing, she was still able to ponder something that was said, and now, she wanted to see if her suspicions were true. If they were, then she would get one unexpected and final act of satisfaction. "Adam Boxley." She watched his eyes narrow slightly at his last name being spoken by her. "Yes. I pay attention. I learn things and store them away for possible use later. This bit of information I almost forgot about." She paused, preparing to draw this out as much as possible.  
>"Get to the point, Marisa! Better yet, tell me where they are!" Adam wasn't in the mood for her games.<br>"Patience, Mr. Boxley. You'll join your love soon enough." Tired as she was, she was still able to put a warning growl in her voice. She enjoyed his impatient and frustrated glare. More importantly, he hadn't denied her mention of love. Perfect. Marisa smiled, letting them wonder what she was up to.  
>"I've been thinking things over while these idiots try to get past my mental blocks." She threw a disdainful look at Mehlumis and the priest, before focusing on Adam again. "Answer my questions, and I'll answer yours." She waited for Adam to agree. When he nodded his head once, she continued. "You said you were tired of the du'Paige's messing with your loved ones."<br>She watched Adam stiffen and turn away from her. She was right! "Don't you want to know?" Her voice was regaining it's confidence now. "Don't you want to know how he died? I was there. I saw the whole thing." She watched him intently. He had half turned towards her again, but wasn't looking directly at her. His face was a concentrated mask. "Yes. I see the resemblance now. Your...brother. Ruben Boxley. I finally have a name to the face." She had to fight for control of her own emotions now.  
>"Where is Kristie?" His voice was flat. He didn't want to play this game. Too bad. She was going to draw this out to it's full extent.<br>"In due time." She gave a self-satisfied smile. "He was stupid enough to stop my father from putting a peasant in his place." The room was silent. She had everyone's attention. She relished it, but mostly was enjoying the agony she was putting him through. "My father was the superior fighter, of course. Your brother had no idea what he was doing. He was losing. It was only huge luck on his part when the wooden plank he was using to defend himself hit my father." As she spoke, her voice grew more and more hateful and venomous.  
>"The plank had a nail in it. Your cowardly brother killed my father. My father who was only asking for what he deserved!" Her voice suddenly became quiet as she no longer looked at Adam, viewing in her mind what she was describing to him. "He died in my arms. He died fighting for what he believed in. He died...by your brother's hand!" Her voice grew louder and louder until she was screaming the last few words.<br>"I was ready to kill him for that! I was ready to burn him to a crisp! But my kill was stolen from me. Edwin took his own vengeance for the death of his friend. Your brother never had a chance. Two quick motions was all it took. The first was a punch to the face. The second a snap of the neck. It was such a satisfying sound. Ruben Boxley fell to the ground like a rag doll dropped by a child."  
>She saw his fists clenched tight. He teeth were grinding against each other and he was a hairpin away from exploding. Now. Now she can top this sweet dessert with the cherry she had been keeping from them. "Your love is in a desert. Out in the middle of nowhere, that even I can't tell you exactly where." His head snapped towards her, perhaps to determine if she was telling the truth.<br>"Which desert!" Adam took a step forward.  
>She gave a gleeful grin. "Not yet, my sweet. You see, there's more you should know." She adjusted herself in the chair to sit up straighter. "Before I shoved her into the portal, I attached a runestone to her shoulder." Now she glanced at the others in the room. Only one might recognize the name of the runestone as it's a little known item. "Morsuleto." One word was all that was needed as a sharp intake of breath let her know that the mage indeed did know of it.<br>When the others looked to him, Mehlumis spoke. "A Morsuleto Runestone. Very few exist as it's a very difficult runestone to make. The ingredients and materials are hard enough to come by, but there's more. It requires others being tortured...and one death."  
>Marisa couldn't let Mehlumis give all the information out. "It stores that pain and death into itself and once it comes into contact with the flesh of a living being, it starts to feed that pain into it's victim until it runs out. After which, it'll feed the one other thing it had absorbed...death."<br>There. That was what she was looking for. She could see the pain of loss in his eyes. The helplessness. The hopelessness. There was only one thing left. "Tanaris." At their unsure looks, she gave a hateful smile. "That's where I sent her. Believe me or not, I don't care. All that's left now is for you to reach her just in time for her to die in your arms...just like my father died in mine!"  
>Those last words sealed it for them as the SI:7 agents and Mehlumis quickly left the room with only Shaw pausing long enough to give the priest instructions not to let their guard down on Marisa and Markus and to keep guards on them at all times.<p>

The setting sun was a relief on the weary and reluctant travelers. The three horde members stopped and dismounted. Kristie sat down immediately, glad to stop and rest. Anduin came over to her to give her another heal. It almost didn't matter. She was grateful for his help, though she was beginning to wonder if she was going to make it to Gagetzan.  
>While they sat on the sand, their captors began to set up camp. Kristie crossed her arms in front of her and sighed, closing her eyes. She was drained of energy. Despite the constant pain, she drifted off into an exhausted sleep.<br>She shouldn't have been surprised when she woke up later to hear the three horde arguing amongst themselves. It was dark now. She and the prince were still tied up. The horde trio had a campfire going and something was cooking on a spit above it. She and Anduin were about twenty feet away...close enough to be seen and watched by them, but not close enough to be able to attack them while they slept. Anduin rested next to her watching them. He looked at her as she sat up and tried to shake the sand out of her hair and clothes. "What's going on?"  
>"The tauren wants to feed us. The other two say feeding you is a waste of time." He listened some more, oblivious of her surprise that he understood orcish. He stood up all of a sudden as the orc came over, wielding his sword. "He thinks it's a waste dragging you around period."<br>Kristie backed up, but not very far as the rope they were tied to had been staked into the ground. Anduin raised his hand in a peaceful gesture as the tauren ran after the orc. The orc ignored him and raised his sword. Anduin muttered a word and Kristie found a shield of light surround her just as the sword came down. The orc was furious, yelling at the prince.  
>The tauren translated. "He's demanding you remove the shield. He says he is just going to put her out of her misery. A quick death is better than the slow painful one she is enduring now."<br>Before Anduin could reply, Kristie spoke up. "I don't want to die." She stood up now, refusing Anduin's offered arm. "I'm willing to endure the pain for as long as I need to until I can find someone to remove this stone!"  
>The orc spoke again and the tauren translated. "Your hope is unfounded. You're no warrior seeking glory. You're just a nobody with no reason to live."<br>Kristie bristled as she moved around Anduin, confronting the orc face to...well...chest, but she looked up into his face. "I have plenty to live for! My family loves me, and I them! There's a little girl back home who is expecting to see me again...a little girl who lost her own parents in this infernal war of yours! And I have a man whom I've just started to realize that I care very, very much about and who cares about me! I have a sculpting career just starting to get off the ground. I- How _dare_ you say I have no reason to live!"  
>The orc stared hard at her and she back at him until another wave of pain coursed through her. But she only closed her eyes, waiting it out and refusing to give in to it. When it was over, she looked at him again only to find that he had put his sword down with a grunt. He said something then moved away. Kristie looked at the tauren for translation. "He says he was wrong. You are a warrior in the body of a weakling."<br>A short while later, they were given a small portion of food and left alone. Kristie forced herself to eat, even though she didn't feel hungry. The adrenaline from her anger had faded, and she once again felt tired. She glanced at him. "Thank you, Anduin...for earlier."  
>He gave her a soft smile. "You'd do the same."<br>"No I wouldn't." She gave a smirk. "I'm not a priestess, remember?" His half-hearted laugh was the only response. "But, yeah, I would have tried to do something, I think." They fell silent for awhile as Kristie thought over the last few days.  
>"Tell me about Amy, or Adam, or your family." Kristie glanced at Anduin with a little surprise at the request.<br>"Amy loves horses. I would take her horseback riding about once a month. Most other times, I'd just take her by the stables to feed them apples or carrots. " She gave a small laugh. "Amusingly enough, it turned out that her favorite horse in the stables was Adam's and none of us knew it."  
>"It sounds like you knew Adam before he became your protector."<br>Kristie nodded and related the tale of how she and Adam had met. Afterwards, she glanced at him and sighed. "He met you once before, you know." She hesitated to continue. It was Adam's story to tell after all. But, for some reason, she felt compelled to mention this part at least. "The day of the riot. Your mother was out on a walk with you and he made faces at you to make you laugh." She paused. "You both lost a loved one that day."  
>They were both silent for a while, each one in private contemplation. Another wave of pain hit her, and Anduin moved in to heal her. But suddenly, a large lion with horns appeared before them. Anduin stepped in front of Kristie, ready to cast another shield, when the lion shapeshifted back into the tauren. Kristie glanced towards the campfire to see only the orc and troll sitting there. Had the tauren been listening in on the conversation? The druid looked at Anduin in the dim light of the campfire, then almost imperceptibly, gave a bow of her head.<br>She then turned to Kristie, kneeling down beside her, muttering her own healing spells. The natural spells of the druid felt different than that of the healing Light. Both, however, had the same results. The pain eased a little, and she suffered a little less. When the druid was done, she moved to stand up, but Kristie put a hand over hers, feeling the coarse fur there. "Why...?"  
>The tauren very briefly glanced at Anduin, then back at Kristie. "There is a little known story my brother told me about our leader, Baine Bloodhoof, and how he came to own his current weapon." The tauren kept her eyes on Kristie as Anduin moved to get a better look at her. "Someone showed him kindness where none should have been given. In light of that story, and because as a druid, the lines are blurred at times, I help where I can." She finally looked at Anduin. "But I cannot do much more than that. I am sorry." She then stood up.<br>"What is your name?" It was Anduin who spoke.  
>"Ishana Stormhorn."<br>"Your kindness will be remembered and honored, Ishana Stormhorn."  
>She gave the slight nod of her head. "Thank you...Prince Anduin." She turned and left before they could say anything more.<br>In shock, Kristie watched Ishana walk away. "She knows."  
>"Yes. But she's keeping that knowledge to herself."<p> 


	23. Chapter 23

_Author's Note: Just a short chapter. ;)_

* * *

><p>Adam huffed impatiently for what seemed like the hundredth time. Had he been by himself, he would have been in Tanaris by now. Of course, he would also have made a grave mistake by doing so. Mehlumis had been an invaluable ally thus far. But he had his limits...and this first limit that they had reached was that he had never been to Tanaris before. And mages need to have been to a place before they could make a portal there.<p>

There was a hidden blessing in that however, as instead, he had provided a portal to Theremore Isle. From there, they had been able to not only gain some supplies for a search party, they had also been offered help in the form of some of the local militia to aid in the search. They only knew they searched for Kristie and a young man with her.

The reason for the vague descriptions came from their newest ally in this venture, Jaina Proudmoore. Of course she had been told the truth of just who was missing. She immediately agreed for the need to attempt to find the young prince before he was missed.

Along with the troops for the search party, she and Mehlumis had concocted five stones for simple communication purposes. The stones had inscriptions and runes on them such that when activated, they turned a specific color. When one was activated, the others suddenly became warm and turned the color of the activated stone. This way, the parties can spread out farther. When a stone is activated, they know that the missing people were found and will head in that direction.

Of course, all that required coordination, which meant more time in Theramore studying the map, organizing the parties, who had which color stone, who was leading each team, what to do when they were found and so on and so forth.

Adam ran a hand through his hair again, feeling strands come loose from the band holding his long hair at the nape of his neck. Had he run off by himself, he would have covered only a minimal amount of the Tanaris desert in his search. With twenty-five more volunteers helping, they could cover more ground, more quickly.

However, this knowledge was also tempered with the need to wait. Not only because of the organization, but also night had fallen by this time. And unless they had hired all night elves, then their sight was just plain limited in the darkness. They had no choice but to wait. Getting some rest was imperative, but was hardly possible for Adam. Mehlumis came by to check on him and said that he could help. He had simply put a hand to Adam's temple and said the word, "Sleep." Adam fell asleep before he could protest.

Early morning came, and Mehlumis woke him. The sun was just barely starting to light the sky as Adam paced, waiting for the last of the party to arrive. Finally the time had come for them to move out. Lady Proudmoore and her assistant, Ysuria, provided the portals to Gadgetzan. It was decided that that was where they would start, having assumed Anduin would recognize the desert and head for the goblin town first. They were all acutely aware of the dangers in Tanaris. Not only for the wildlife and the heat, but also for the pirates, ogres, trolls, and various horde adventurers who roamed the sand dunes.

As Adam stepped through the portal, he was greeted with a blast of warm air, even though the sun was just beginning to break over the horizon. Because of the previous organization and readiness, they had set out almost immediately. Lady Proudmoore stayed in Gadgetzan, a cloak covering her head so as to draw as little attention to herself as possible. Ysuria and a priest they had brought with them remained with her. The plan was to bring Kristie to her as soon as possible in order for the powerful mage to remove the runestone.

Shaw, Adam, Maggie, and Mehlumis, each led a team...Gold, Silver, Emerald, and Sapphire, respectively. A captain in the militia led the fifth, Ruby team. Each team had six members who spread out only as far as they could and still keep an eye on each other.

**…**

Ishana stamped her hoof in defiance, challenging both Druk'thar and Nabuni. With scowls, the orc and troll backed off. If she wanted to waste her energy showing mercy to that weakling human, that was her prerogative. "Very well, Ishana. She's worthless to us anyhow, but if you lose your kodo because of her attempt to escape, don't come crawling to us!"

"She hasn't the energy to even attempt an escape, much less succeed. I don't even understand why you want the boy, Druk'thar. He's obviously no warrior. They are merely citizens." She spoke as she turned to help the human woman into the saddle of the kodo. The human boy will have to walk.

Nabuni spoke up. "He be wantin' a prize ta bring ta Orgrimmar, 'Shana. You know da reward for Alliance prisoners."

"Yes. Alliance _military_ prisoners, Nabuni. Not simple peasantry who know nothing of military plans. And we all know the horde has no use for prisoners who are worthless. Besides, we didn't come out here to find prisoners. We aren't equipped to deal with them."

"No, we came out here to gather some resources and earn some gold." Druk'thar nodded his head towards the young human. "There's some of our gold."

Ishana glanced in Anduin's direction. "Maybe. Not sure he's worth it, though. If he were military or someone who might have some useful information...now _there_ would be a definite bit of gold for us."

"Enough! We've been over this already. It'll take us half the day to reach Gadgetzan. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get there. Let's go." Druk'thar urged his wolf mount forward, and everyone else followed.

Ishana kept an eye on the human named Kristie. She walked on the opposite side of her kodo from the others so that she could give the human a quick heal without them noticing. Druk'thar seemed to be of the opinion that helping someone of the alliance was treasonous. She didn't think so. It was her opinion that if someone...especially if they are obviously a mere citizen...was in need, then she should help them. It was a part of her druidic nature, she supposed.

Of course it would be different if they were part of an army or spies. Ishana surreptitiously looked at the young human. Now _that_ was dangerous ground. Though she doubted he knew any military secrets or plans, the mere fact he was the king of Stormwind's son made him especially valuable. Keeping this knowledge to herself could be considered treasonous. But she couldn't help but recall her brother's story of how the young prince had helped Baine, despite the conflicts between the horde and alliance.

As long as he wasn't discovered to his true identity, the most that would happen to him would be some questioning, some imprisonment, and possibly a prisoner exchange if he was lucky. Despite the possible consequences, she had decided to keep an eye out for any possibility of helping Prince Anduin escape. What was he doing out here in the middle of nowhere without a guard anyhow? She glanced at the human named Kristie. The mage she had angered must have sent him with her, though how that was possible, she had no idea. What's done is done.

Kristie slumped forward and Ishana reached up to make sure the ties on the saddle were secure so that the human wouldn't fall off. As the wave of pain faded, she gave a quick rejuvenation spell, then moved ahead and around the front of her kodo, handing the reigns to Nabuni. "I'm going to scout ahead to make sure the way is clear." Nabuni nodded as he took the reigns from them. With the ore, leather, and rare herbs they had gathered along with some plundered loot from pirates and ogres, they needed to make sure the way was clear of possible bandits or alliance.

Actually, it was the alliance she sort of hoped to find as she switched into her cheetah form for traveling and took off. It had occurred to her when she heard the two humans talking last night that this Kristie had a protector. And if she had a protector, he may be looking for her. Of course, they will be looking for the prince as well, but is it known that he is with her? And do they know where to look for the two?

She had not been gone for twenty minutes before her keen eyesight in the cheetah form spotted some humanoid figures spread out. Quickly, she switched her her cat form and began to prowl before they spotted her. She moved as quickly as she could until she was much closer and then began to move much more slowly to avoid detection. They were human, and obviously searching for something or someone.

She watched each one until she determined who the leader was. One of the other men called out to him. "Adam. Over here." The brown-haired man moved to the location of the one who had called out and they knelt to look at something. Ishana narrowed her feline eyes. It was too coincidental. Kristie called her protector Adam. It had to be him.

She didn't have much time, but she waited. She watched him shake his head and move back to his position and the team of six humans continued forward. Ishana calculated that this team and her friends would meet up in about fifteen minutes. Still, she waited. She moved her position, watching him push forward, constantly scanning the area. He'll probably spot her friends in the distance in about eight minutes.

Adam move past a large rock jutting out of the sand. It blocked her view of him so she moved to a better position. He had paused, standing completely still. His eyes were the only thing moving. His muscles were tense as though he was ready to spring one way or the other. Ah, he knew she was there watching him. Very well, she will accommodate him, but not what he may expect. The rock will provide the necessary cover for the short time she needed.

She slowly approached, but not from behind him. In a quiet voice, she spoke the common language of the humans. "You are Adam, protector of the human named Kristie?" She watched him stiffen and look in the direction of where he had heard her voice. At his short, stiff nod, she continued. "You have almost reached her, but you have little time to help her. My friends have her. But they will kill her and her _brother_ if they think they can't win."

The human's brown eyes stopped as he probably could barely see her feline form now as it blended in to the environment. "Why are you helping them?" He kept his voice quiet.

"I have my reasons and no time to explain. I have a plan to help you, but I will not commit treason to do so. Nor will I betray my friends. If you truly care for her and her brother, you must be willing to make sacrifices."

The human hesitated for just a moment as he processed her words, then nodded once more. "I'm listening."

**…**

Kristie could barely hold on to the kodo now. She was so tired and it felt as if the pain the stone delivered was intensifying. Anduin had approached, putting a hand on her leg to heal her, but he was beginning to tire as well. A racing feline form appeared in the distance and Kristie felt a small sense of relief. Ishana can take over so that Prince Anduin could save his energy.

Her relief was short lived, however, as the tauren came out of her travel form and immediately began speaking in orcish, throwing them a quick look. The orc and troll had immediately glanced at the two prisoners and pulled out their weapons. Nabuni approached and Kristie found herself easily plucked from the kodo. She was placed on the raptor, having not enough strength to resist.

Ishana mounted her kodo and Kristie barely noticed Prince Anduin now astride the wolf in front of the orc. The three turned their mounts to run when a grunt of pain was heard from the tauren. The troll had turned his mount to see what had happened so Kristie got a full view of a throwing knife sticking out of her shoulder. She fell to the ground, pulling the knife out and healing herself. Suddenly a human appeared behind her, brandishing a dagger and holding it to her throat. Adam!

Adam's eyes were narrowed and a scowl was on his face as he quickly glanced in her direction, then at Prince Anduin. In the distance, others were heard rushing to his aid, but they were farther behind him and it would take a couple of minutes. He seemed oblivious. "Release them!"

In response, Kristie felt the troll's axe press against her midsection. She couldn't see, but she was sure the orc had his own weapon against Prince Anduin. "No mon. You release 'Shana an' maybe we no kill you."

"My team is fast approaching! You'll be outnumbered soon. Release them and I'll release her!"

"Sure, mon. You can have dis one for her. One prisoner, for da other." Kristie worried for Prince Anduin. How will they save him? She was out of ideas...not that she could think of anything anymore.

"If it's bodies you want, I'll exchange this tauren...and _myself_ for the release of my ward and her brother."

Kristie gasped and shook her head, but was stopped short from protesting further by the look Adam gave her. He silently commanded her with his eyes to do as instructed. One quick flick of his eyes in Prince Anduin's direction sealed her decision. He was doing this to not only save her, but to save the prince as well. Tears fell from her eyes as the troll and orc said something in their language, then she felt herself shoved to the ground.

Kristie barely had her wits about her enough to roll as she hit the ground, but she still had to wait for the stun of the fall to pass before sitting up. Prince Anduin was beside her, helping her up and she suddenly found herself face to face with Adam and Ishana. Their positions were now reversed with the tauren holding Adam's dagger to his throat.

They paused just long enough for Adam to take her hand in his. "Take...your brother to safety. We have someone waiting in Gadgetzan to help you. Survive. Survive for Amy. For me." He had just enough time to put her hand to his lips before he was shoved away and put on the kodo. Just before they turned to dash off, Adam made eye contact with her again and mouthed three words. I love you.

And then they were gone. The other men had finally arrived, but stopped when they found Kristie and the prince. Anduin explained what had happened as Kristie continued to stare in the direction Adam had disappeared. Another wave of pain and Kristie didn't want to fight it anymore. She felt a darkness begin to envelope her. _Survive_. Adam's voice came back to her. _For Amy. For me._ She fought the pain. She fought the darkness. But she could feel it coming and she wouldn't have the strength to resist. If the stone wasn't removed soon, she would have to face Death, and she knew she would lose.


	24. Chapter 24

_Author's Note: The first section of this chapter contains a surgical procedure. While I didn't go into grisly details, I did have to go into some details in order to describe what was going on. If surgical scenes make you queasy, then just skip over it._

* * *

><p>Lady Proudmoore saw the dust cloud of hard running horses approach Gadgetzan. A nod to Ysuria gave the order for the assistant to prepare the area in the inn they had curtained off for the job they needed to do. It didn't take long for them to arrive. Kristie was lowered to the ground just outside the inn and a few of the other soldiers rushed her inside. The priest immediately began to examine Kristie as Jaina went to give Prince Anduin a hug after he climbed off of Adam's horse. "Are you okay?" She refrained from using any titles for him so as to not bring any more attention to themselves.<p>

"Yes, Aunt Jaina." He looked to where Kristie had disappeared and then back at Jaina. "Is she going to be okay?"

The mage nodded her head. "I think so. We need to work right away. Stay here with the soldiers." She looked around for which group this was, but saw no leader. "Who was in charge of this group?"

One of the soldiers spoke up. "Adam, Ma'am. He was taken prisoner by some horde."

"He exchanged himself for us." Anduin spoke softly. At Jaina's look of surprise, he added, "Kristie convinced them that I was her brother. They had no idea who I was."

Jaina nodded her head. "We'll talk more later. First, I have a job to do." She turned to the soldier who had spoken. "Bring him inside and away from others. Don't let him behind the curtain." She gave Anduin a warning glance before looking back at the soldier. "Your team will guard him with your lives, understand?"

The soldier gave her a salute, then he nodded to his team and they all moved inside. Jaina turned to Ysuria. "Contact Mehlumis. Have him bring the teams in." The high elf nodded and stepped outside where it was quieter. She and the night elf mage had created a simple mind-link to stay in contact telepathically.

Kristie lay on a table covered with cloth. It was firm, and will serve it's purpose better than the actual beds. The beds in the inn were merely hammocks and were not appropriate for surgery. Jaina glanced in the corner where a caged boar squealed. She hated what she was going to have to do, but Kristie's life was more valuable than the animal's life.

While Shaw had organized the search parties and Ysuria had organized the supplies, Jaina had to teleport herself to Dalaran. While she knew of the Morsuleto Runestone, she didn't know how to remove it safely. And the only books that would have information on it were in the secured section of the Dalaran Library. The librarian had helped her search for it but they finally found the information they needed.

The making of the runestone was gruesome enough. The so-called _safe_ removal of one was almost as bad. Jaina looked at the pale woman's face. "I'm going to have to put you to sleep."

"What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry. I'll explain later. There's no time now." She put her hand to Kristie's temple and muttered the word to put her into a deep sleep. There was no way she was going to explain beforehand what she needed to do. The woman didn't need the shock right now.

With a sigh, she looked at the priestess before her. "Ready?" Helena nodded and Jaina began her first spell. This one was designed to try and surround the magic within the stone and keep it from emitting any more of it's dark magic into Kristie. The woman's body jerked as the stone reacted to the foreign magic. The priestess immediately began her healing, putting a concentrated effort into the area surrounding the stone.

Ysuria entered the curtained off area with a poultice in a bowl. It contained numbing agents. With a gloved hand, she took a small, flat wooden blade, scooping up the poultice on one end and rubbing it on the skin surrounding the Mosuleto Runestone. After that, Jaina focused her magic on the stone itself. She probed it, trying to determine how far it had dug it's magical claws into her shoulder.

Once she found how far down it had dug, she and the priest began to methodically cut into the shoulder. Helena kept her healing spells going constantly. Both Jaina and the priestess used their magics to guide them. Together they removed the flesh the stone was attached to. With the stone removed, Kristie's life was saved. However, they still had to work quickly if they were going to save Kristies arm.

"I'm going to need help." Helena commented as she tried to keep a magical shield over the exposed shoulder. But it was still bleeding and she also had to try to keep a shield over the removed flesh as well.

"Ysuria, have one of the goblin's healers get in here, fast!" The high elf quickly moved out of the curtained area and signaled one of the goblins on the other side of the room. They exited the inn and a moment later, a goblin shaman entered to help. Jaina felt perspiration on her forehead as she kept up the magical barrier around the stone and flesh. She spared a quick frost spell to freeze the exposed shoulder. That should help some. With magic suspending the runestone and flesh, they both moved over to the boar in the nearby cage. Ysuria used a spell to put the animal to sleep then used the numbing agent on it's hide.

Carefully and without touching the stone, they cut through the boar's hide, the approximate size as they had cut from Kristie's shoulder. Slowly, they pushed the boar's hide underneath the stone to replace Kristie's missing flesh. The Morsuleto Runestone was designed that if it had started it's course of delivering it's stored pain, then if it suddenly had no flesh to deliver it's pain, it's magical tendrals would reach out to instill it in the nearest living flesh it could find. That's why they couldn't just use an already deceased animal.

As Helena went back to Kristie with the missing part of her shoulder, Jaina and the shaman replaced the boar's bit of hide with the stone in it. Jaina left the shaman to heal the boar's hide back together, though it really didn't matter. It was going to die regardless. There was no changing that.

Returning to Kristie, she saw Helena replace the removed flesh. Jaina removed her freezing spell so the separated muscles and nerves could be healed back together by the priestess. Helena finished her healing spells, double checked and then nodded at Jaina. The mage did her own probe over Kristie's body to make sure there was no lingering magic from the Mosuleto Stone. Satisfied, she finally released a slow breath and closed her eyes. Only time will tell how well Kristie's arm recovers. If everything went well, she should have full use of it again in time. If there were any mistakes, she may not have full use of it again. That was the risk in a procedure such as this.

A sudden loud squealing came from the boar as the creature suddenly felt the onslaught of pain that Kristie had been dealing with. The animal bucked and squirmed until after a loud cry, it shuddered and fell silent. The shaman checked the animal, then shook her head to indicate it was dead. They had been just in time. If they had taken any longer, then that would have been Kristie screaming, instead of the boar. Jaina came over to the poor creature and used a cloth to remove the stone. It should be depleted of it's dark magic, but she wasn't taking any chances of touching it with her bare hand.

She put the stone in a box. It'll be sent to Dalaran for study and to try and determine who had made it. She then turned to the shaman. "Thank you for your help. I'll have this boar burned and the ashes scattered. I wouldn't recommend anyone trying to cook and eat it as there may be some lingering dark magic within."

Leaving the curtained area, she went to a water basin and washed up. Anduin approached and she nodded her head. "We saved her. Only time will tell if she'll have full use of her arm." Jaina found a chair and sat down. "It'll never cease to surprise me the lengths others go through..." She stopped her current topic of discussion as she glanced at who she was talking to. Anduin may be quite mature for a thirteen-year-old, but he still didn't need to be a part of that kind of conversation just yet.

By that time, the other teams had returned and began to trickle into the inn. If it was safe to move Kristie, Jaina would have suggested porting everyone back to Theramore. As it was, Helena said she shouldn't be moved for a few more hours at least. She'll have to make sure to leave the goblin innkeeper a large tip for the inconvenience of not allowing any horde inside for the time being.

Shaw, Maggie, and Mehlumis all approached Lady Proudmoore and Prince Anduin. Jaina waited until they were all there before reporting on Kristie's status. "Adam must be relieved," Maggie said. "Is he with her now?" Anduin and Jaina looked at each other and Maggie frowned. "What?"

"He's not here." Anduin glanced at the two agents. "The horde have him." He then related to them his and Kristie's experiences since being shoved through the portal.

"Why the fel didn't any of the soldiers go after him!" Shaw glared over at where Adam's team stood together.

"That's what I'd like to know!" Maggie clenched her fists above where her daggers were sheathed.

One of them cleared his throat and spoke to them both. "Because he told us not to."

"_What?_" Maggie was incredulous.

"I think I may be able to explain." The two agents turned to Anduin expectantly. "When he said his final words to Kristie, he told her to take her _brother_ to safety. There was no time for us to tell him our cover story. So he must have known beforehand that I was supposed to be her brother."

"How?" Shaw was listening intently.

"The tauren, Ishana Stormhorn. She overheard Kristie and I talking. We thought we were alone. But she heard Kristie call me Anduin and Ishana figured out the rest. However, for...personal reasons, of which I best not speak," He stole a quick glance at Jaina, "she opted to help us. There was a time when she had scouted ahead. Perhaps she came across him then and enlisted his help?"

The soldier who spoke before stepped up. "That would explain a few things. Adam had disappeared behind a rock for a few minutes. I was just about to check on him when he reappeared, then gave a strange order. He said that we were to give him a three minute head start and then go after him. After that, if we ran into the woman and boy we were looking for, then we were to take them back here and under no circumstances were we to follow him. No matter what we might see."

Maggie muttered a curse under her breath as she realized what he had done. "He exchanged himself for them." She couldn't fault him. She would have done the same thing. But it didn't mean she had to like it. She glanced out the door of the inn. "Maybe it's not too late to track them..."

Shaw followed her gaze. "As much as I'd like to, I'm afraid our duty here is not yet finished." He gave a nod in Anduin's direction.

Prince Anduin frowned in frustration, then determinedly turned to Jaina. "Lady Proudmore, will you please provide a portal back to The Exodar for me so that certain others may be _relieved_ of their duties and get on to more important matters?"

Jaina's grin matched Shaw's and Maggie's. "Of course, Your Highness." She stood. "In fact, I'll go with you and help explain things to Prophet Velen." She gave instructions to Ysuria to look after Kristie with Helena. Three soldiers were to stay with them and the others were to be ported home to Theramore. When Kristie was recovered enough to move, she was to port her to Stormwind. With instructions finished, she teleported herself and Anduin to The Exodar.

**…**

Adam felt the dagger still at his throat as he rode on the kodo. The tauren kept her word and had allowed him to take her in front of her companions. She said that her friends would be more interested in him than Kristie and Anduin as they thought them to only be simple citizens and not of much value. But he, on the other hand would be more valuable as a prisoner in their eyes.

In exchange for her help, he had promised not to tell anyone of her involvement. He had also promised that if he tried to escape, he would not harm herself or her two friends. He had noted that she hadn't warned him _not_ to try and escape, but not to hurt them in the _process_ of doing so. The tauren spoke in orcish to her friends and the two grunted as they urged their mounts westward.

The orc and troll constantly glanced back to make sure they weren't being followed. After a long ride, They slowed and stopped. The tauren's dagger pressed harder against his neck, warning him not to do anything as the orc turned his wolf to stride over to them. He took out some rope, saying something in orcish to the tauren. She translated as the orc tied his wrists together. "He says you wasted your time and possibly your life for that human female. She was on deaths door already."

Adam looked directly at the orc. "That was my prerogative, and frankly none of your business."

There was a pause for translation and the orc gave a smirk with his reply. "_You_ are now my business, human." He turned to let Ishana translate and they all took off again.

Ishana kept her kodo slightly back from the other two. When she had made the deal with him, she had let him know in quick words what would happen to him if he agreed. He would be taken prisoner to Orgrimmar and they would get their reward. As a prisoner, he would be interrogated for whatever information could be extracted from him that could be of any use for the horde.

Adam had accepted this, knowing full well just what the interrogation could entail. He had no secrets, save possibly the ranking order of SI:7. That will do them no good. Either way, he didn't plan to arrive at Orgrimmar. He only needed to stay with them long enough to make sure Kristie and Prince Anduin were safely with the rest in Gadgetzan.

Adam had only one regret. He wouldn't be there to find out if Lady Proudmoore was successful or not. And that, he knew, will bother him until such a time as he could escape. But just how he will escape is questionable. The tauren had taken his weapons. And while he could ghost himself, it would do no good while he was tied up and on the kodo. He had one trick up his sleeve, but he would have to wait to pull it off.

Ishana knew the rogue was considering his escape options as they rode. Even though he had promised not to hurt any of them if he attempted to escape, she didn't take the chance of him going back on his word. She had taken his weapons and now he was tied up. He had to know she would try to stop him if he tried to run. The deal was only for the exchange and the promise to not hurt her friends or herself.

She was riding behind Druk'thar and Nabuni. The wind would mask her words to the human, so she took the chance to speak to Adam quietly. "You kept your promise, human. I must admit I was surprised a rogue would have such honor."

Adam turned his head so that his words would not travel forward. "You make a mistake if you stereotype a rogue. Each of us is our own person."

A moment of silence was followed by, "One shouldn't stereotype the horde, either." She left that for him to ponder as she sped up her kodo to catch up with the others and say something in orcish. They turned south when they saw a hive of silithids come into view. None of them wanted to deal with the huge insects.

After a few more hours riding, they came to a small camp set up against the side of a mountain. Adam figured the sun would be setting in another couple of hours or so. Were they going to stop for the night? He hoped so. He was tired of riding this hulking beast. He wanted to stretch his legs. And he figured a good escape would be just the right thing to stretch his muscles.

The horde members came to a stop and spoke to the blood elves camped there. After a few exchanges, they dismounted and began unpacking, but the orc stopped what he was doing. He stared hard at the human, and Adam didn't like it one bit. The orc approached, speaking to the tauren and stopped as she said something. Glancing at her, he said something else. She replied and he grunted before turning around.

Adam watched her search for something in a pouch as he asked, "What was that all about?" The tauren ignored him until she found what she had been looking for. She pulled out a pouch and a bowl. She poured some water into the bowl and pinched some of the contents of the pouch into the bowl as well. She swilled it around as she spoke. "Drink this."

"What is it?" Adam eyed the contents warily.

"An herbal concoction of my own. It will put you to sleep."

He shook his head. "I'd rather not."

"Very well, we can go with Druk'thar's first plan which was for him to beat you to a pulp until you blacked out. I thought this option would be a little less...painful." She held up the bowl again. Adam glanced at the orc who looked like he was more than willing to come back over and do just what the druid had said. He took the bowl and sipped it. "All of it." The tauren was too keen on his possible tricks. He finished the contents and handed the bowl back to her. It didn't take long before he began to feel light-headed. Another moment and the tauren had to catch him as he fell almost instantly asleep.

**…**

_The Next Morning..._

Muffled voices stirred Kristie from her slumber. Along with the consciousness came a dull ache in her shoulder. She groaned and turned her head to shake some of the cobwebs from her head. Opening her eyes, she saw she was no longer in the Gadgetzan inn. She vaguely recognized her surroundings, but couldn't quite place where she was.

Kristie tried to sit up and immediately cried out as a burning pain seared her left shoulder. She quickly lay back down, using her right hand to cover her bandaged shoulder. It was then that she realized that she no longer felt the constant pain from that stone. In fact, as her fingers probed the area, she realized that the stone wasn't even there anymore. She also noticed that there were parts of her shoulder that felt numb. She couldn't lift her left arm at all. It was as if the muscles just refused her mental commands to move.

The door opened quickly in response to her cry of pain and Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker entered, followed swiftly by her mom. "Kristie! I'm glad to see you awake." The woman came over and gave her daughter a gentle hug as Lord Grayson checked Kristie's shoulder.

Kristie was glad to see her mother, but could also see the worry in her eyes. She now recognized the room she was in. It was the one in Lord Grayson's house. Why was she here? If she was back in Stormwind, why wouldn't she be at home? Was Marisa still after her? Where were Maggie and...

Kristie felt winded as her memory came back swiftly. In her minds eye, she could see Adam riding off in the distance, a prisoner of the horde. She hadn't said anything to him. She hadn't even told him that she loved him. Tears came to her eyes. She had just stood there and done nothing while Adam rode off.

Not knowing her thoughts, Lord Grayson asked, "Does that hurt?"

Kristie glanced down to see that he had been moving her left arm. It occurred to her that there was some pain, but not as bad as before. "A little." She tried again to move her arm, but could hardly lift it. "Why can't I move my arm?"

"You had a surgical procedure done to remove the runestone. Although your shoulder was healed, the muscle that had been cut through has had a shock and still needs time to recover." He put her arm down, giving it a gentle pat. "It has to relearn it's job and that's why you're here. I'm going to help you through your rehabilitation."

Kristie said nothing for a minute. _Survive_. He had told her to survive. She did. But what had it cost her? His freedom. Her arm. Without the use of her arm, she can't be the sculptress she had wanted to be. What was the point? "I just want to go home."

"I think it best if-"

"I don't care!" Kristie snapped her head in Lord Grayson's direction, anger mixed with pain flashed in her eyes. "He told me to survive! I did. Now I want to go home!"

Elenor and Grayson exchanged a look. Helena had told them what she knew of what had happened in Tanaris. They knew that Adam had offered himself in her place. It was partly why Lord Grayson had insisted that Kristie stay with him and he would help her recover. He's seen some of the paladin's he had trained go through similar situations as this and knew it could be tough. Kristie was proving his concerns to be true. "I'm sorry, Miss Alexston but I'm not allowing you to leave until you have recovered."

She glared at him for a moment, then seemingly changed the subject. "What happened to Marisa?"

"She is in the stockades currently awaiting her trial."

"So I no longer need protection. There is no other reason for me to stay here. I can recover at home." She began to stand up, but was firmly pressed back down by Lord Grayson.

"Wrong." He moved so that he was in a more direct line of sight to her. "You see, I ordered a sculpture from you, and I would like to see it finished. And in order for you to finish it again, you need to restrengthen that shoulder." His voice brooked no argument. "If I have to, I'll get a couple of my trainee's to stand guard over you. But know this...You are not leaving this house until I say so."

"You can't do that! I have rights!"

"And I am your physician now. What I say goes."

Kristie looked to her mother now, almost incredulous that she was allowing this man to essentially keep her prisoner here. Elenor looked at her full of concern and worry, but she only agreed with Lord Grayson. "Your father knows, and we both agreed to this." She put a hand on Kristie's right hand. "The faster you get better, the faster you can come home."

Kristie looked away and out a window. "Fine," she muttered. "It's only fitting. I may as well be a prisoner for the rest of my life." _Just like Adam_, she thought.


	25. Chapter 25

Adam slowly opened his eyes. He had been listening to the sounds of a forest for the last ten minutes or so. Along with the forest noise, he could hear others moving around and an occasional whisper, though he couldn't make out what was said. It was nighttime now. The firelight from torches provided most of the light in the area as the tall trees that surrounded the small village he was in blocked most of the light from the moons.

He sat up slowly, rubbing his head. There was a bump towards the back of his head that told him he was put in this cage none too gently. The huge tauren guard standing just outside the door turned and eyed him with a snort then went back to looking forward, ignoring the prisoner. Adam examined the outdoor cage that surrounded him. It was made of what he thought at first was bamboo, but seemed to be much stronger and sturdier than that. Perhaps it was enhanced somehow. It was large enough to hold multiple prisoners, but he was the only one in there now.

Next he examined himself. All of his weapons were gone, including the hidden ones in his boot and wrist band. The potions he kept on him were gone as well. Other than the bump, there seemed to be no scratches or broken bones or anything.

So now to figure out where he was. Well, the obvious part was that he was in a forest, in a horde encampment. He called up a map of Kalmidor in his mind's eye. They had been in Tanaris. Uldum was to the south. Thousand Needles to the north and Un'Goro Crater to the west. He glanced up and around. No. He didn't think he was in Un'Goro. The trees were too thick and tall. And the area was too mountainous. Un'Goro Crater was, for the most part, flat. Plus, there were no Horde encampments in the crater.

As he moved up the map in his head, he saw Feralas. Yes, this could be that. There was a tauren camp there, though he couldn't recall what it was called. And it would most likely be a stop over on the way to Orgrimmar. If that were the case, then there was an Alliance post to the west somewhere. That one was run by the night elves. He'd never been to Feralas, so he hoped his information was up to date.

He glanced outside of the cage. He was situated just east of the village made up mostly of simple tents. There was a cliff wall rising up to the north and east, and a small tent to the south. West of the cage was a small river. Most of the villagers were composed of tauren from what he could tell. The three horde members that had captured him were nowhere to be seen. They were probably in an inn somewhere. That was just as well. He could attempt his escape while keeping his promise.

He watched the guard for a few minutes, noting the huge tauren seemed content to stare straight ahead, though his ears twitched in various directions. Testing a theory, he made a scuffling noise as he pretended to stretch. Sure enough, the tauren's ear flicked back to listen, then a slight turn of his head let him see what Adam was up to. Adam pretended to ignore him and sat back down as though he were going to make himself more comfortable.

When the guard turned forward again, Adam slowly and silently moved his hand to his pants pocket. There was a hidden pocket within the pocket and he reached two fingers in to pull out a stone with inscriptions on it. He wasn't surprised that it hadn't been taken from him, had they even found it in the first place. It seemed like a simple stone unless one looked closer at it.

Muttering a single word and rubbing his thumb over the inscriptions, the stone began to grow warm and emit a soft silver glow. He quickly put it back in his pocket to hide the glow.

…

Maggie stirred the campfire to make sure it didn't go out. Mathias Shaw was next to her sleeping lightly. He had taken the first shift last night and now it was her turn to keep watch. She admired his remarkable ability to look ready to fight, even in sleep. With an inward sigh, she tore her green eyes from his sleeping form and glanced into the distant sky. The first hints of sunrise illuminated the Tanaris horizon. She went to their packs and pulled out some supplies to make breakfast. She wanted to continue the search as soon as possible.

They had returned to where Adam's team had been and followed their trail until they came to what they could only assume was the place where the exchange had happened. The horde's trail went west and they followed it south until a windstorm had kicked up the sand and the trail vanished. At that point, Shaw said they needed to rest for the night and they would figure out where to go next.

She had been relieved that Mathias hadn't called the search off altogether. But she wasn't sure where to go from here. Their only option was to continue in the direction they had last seen the trail. In this direction lay the entrance to Un'Goro Crater and Uldum. From Un'Goro they could have access to Silithus and then a dead end either way unless they took aerial transportation. If they had found flying mounts, there were any number of places they could have gone by this time. Although, she didn't think they had reached Orgrimmar yet, unless they found a mage to port them...or one of them was a mage. She didn't think so. There wouldn't have been a trail to follow so long if they could just easily port themselves home.

With breakfast ready, she was about to wake Shaw when something in her hip pocket grew warm. Startled, she reached in and pulled out her stone. She had forgotten all about the simple communication stones they had for the search parties. But Kristie and Anduin had been found. So, why was it activated now? As she looked, she saw that it had a silver glow to it. She glanced at Shaw. Had he accidentally activated his? No. His was gold. Then it dawned on her and she spun around to quickly pack up their things. "Shaw!"

**…**

He wanted to wait to give the others time to reach him. But did they even still have their stones? The stones had a homing beacon of sorts. If one was activated, the others would glow the brightest in the direction of the activated stone. So they were more like a compass than a homing beacon, technically. But with the slow approach of dawn, he needed to attempt his escape now and hope they catch up to him. Either that, or he'll just have to make it to an alliance outpost.

He ghosted himself and silently made his way to the door of the cage. The tauren's ears were still flicking in different directions, indicating that they were intently listening for sounds of trouble. Adam's lock picking kit had been taken from him. He was going to have to do this the hard way. Reaching through the cage bars, he slowly, and carefully took hold of the keyring hooked onto the tauren's belt.

He quickly let go. He unstealthed himself and turned around, lying down to pretend to be asleep. The patrolling guard glanced into the cage as he reached it. He snorted and then turned around to patrol back to the other side of the village. When the coast was clear again, Adam tried again. He was able to silently pick up the keys, constantly keeping an eye on the tauren's ears. He got the keys. Now to unlock the cage. He slowly put the key in the lock, making sure no metal clanked against metal.

Adam steeled himself and prepared for battle. Considering how old and rusted this lock was, there was no way he was going to be able unlock it without a sound. Still he tried to go slowly and be as quiet as possible. _Click_. The tauren's ears turned towards the cage first, followed by a turn of the head. His reaction was fast. Adam was faster. As soon as the click sounded, he shoved open the cage door, ramming it into the huge tauren. He then exited the cage and did a fast kick to the humanoid's most sensitive spot. This brought a loud moan from the guard.

For the briefest of moments, Adam couldn't help but think how the guard's moan sounded so much like the mooing of a cow. But that mooing was still loud enough to alert others. Adam vanished and quickly climbed on top of the cage. From there, he jumped to the cliff wall clinging to the edge with his fingertips for a few seconds while his feet searched for footholds. Finding one, he was able to pull himself to the top of the cliff and onto a grassy area. To the north was a round pavillion. Adam moved to the east of it. He didn't want to get trapped inside.

Shouts in Taur'ahe informed him that his escape had been discovered. Things weren't going very well for him. Flashes of light fell from the sky and landed on the ground not too far from him. Adam cursed himself. Hunter flares! If one got too close to him, it'll expose him and he'll no longer be stealthed! Adam quickly ran forward as fast as he could. He hoped to get beyond the range of the hunters.

But he wasn't used to running in a forest. Adam tripped and quickly stood up just as a flare landed near him. Damnit! An arrow hit the trunk of the tree next to him. They can see him now. They had the advantage. They knew this forest better than him. He could only hope for his luck to change as he ran as fast as he could go. He no longer knew which direction he was going. Trees, up-grown roots, bushes, vines, logs, and streams all barred his way and slowed him down.

The hunters were on his trail now. It was only a matter of time before they caught up to him. A flash of movement was all he saw out of the corner of his eye before he automatically ducked and dodged to the side. A huge wooden club missed him by inches. Adam turned his head to see an angry ogre preparing to swing his club at him again. Adam jumped to the side again, but misstepped in the uneven forest floor.

He stumbled and rolled on the ground in his efforts to escape. The club came down on his right and he rolled over on his back to see the ogre standing over him and bringing his club down again. Adam rolled to his right. He could feel the air and reverberation of the club hitting the ground mere inches from him. He could hear the yell of another ogre approaching. He had to get out of there!

_Thwip!_ Adam had rolled half over to see what direction the club was coming down, but it didn't. Instead the ogre was looking stupidly at his club with an arrow sticking out of it. As it slowly dawned on him that there were hunters behind him, another arrow shot him in the arm. A roar of pain and renewed anger exploded from the huge humanoid. He turned and began to charge after the hunters. The ogre that had been approaching joined him.

Adam allowed himself a small grin at his change of luck and took off in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, his luck didn't stay. Not too long after, a spear shot past him. He turned to see what at first seemed to be a smaller night elf female. But a second glance told him it wasn't. This creature may have had the upper body of a night elf, but her lower body consisted of the form of a deer! Adam had to think for a second what it was called. A dryad. He picked up the spear that had landed near him. "I'm a friend of the night elves." Dryads were supposed to be allies to the Kaldorei.

But this one didn't seem to be. She spoke something in Darnassian and bounded after him. Well, this one obviously wasn't a friend to the night elves. Her hand formed fists as she tried to hit him. He blocked her, using the spear, but she only grabbed the weapon and with surprising strength pulled it from him. As she did so, one of her front hooves stepped on his foot. Adam could feel bones crunch as his leather boots weren't much protection from the force of her hoof.

She jabbed at him with the spear, grazing his side. Adam grimaced and took hold of the spear before she could pull it back. He started to pull it forward, but quickly realized he couldn't easily pull her off balance since she had four legs to steady her. Instead, he suddenly reversed his pull into a push, shoving the blunt end of the spear into her face.

The dryad said something and one had covered the injured spot on her face. Adam took that opportunity to turn and run...only he didn't get very far. His injured foot protested it's use and Adam could only limp and stumble until he fell and rolled down a hill which ended in a cold splash.

Coming up for air, he quickly glanced around. The dryad threw her spear from the top of the small hill. It pierced the water near him and Adam turned and swam away from the land. After a minute, he glanced to see if she would follow, but apparently she didn't think swimming after him was worth it and had turned to return to the forest. Adam stopped to tread water as he considered his location now and his options.

He could see large trees nearby coming out of the water. In the distance huge rock formations jutted out of the water. Adam guessed he was in Thousand Needles. That was the total opposite direction in which he had wanted to go. There was no way he would be able to go back into Feralas, not with his injuries and the tauren looking for him.

He could feel the sting of the salt water on the cut in his side. The cool water felt good to his aching foot. The movement needed to tread water didn't. Some vines were swinging just above the water nearby and Adam swam to one and reached up, testing to see if it was secure and if it would support his weight. It did and he began to climb hand over hand. His muscles groaned under this exertion, but he finally reached a point where he was even with the top of a nearby cliff.

Adam swung the vine back and forth, wondering just how much longer he could hold on. He was exhausted. This had better work. The vine finally swung close enough to the cliff that Adam could jump to the cliff and come to a rolling stop on the dusty cliff. He allowed himself time to recover, listening for anyone attempting to follow him. All was silent save for a few birds chirping in the distance.

He pushed himself up and half crawled, half limped up a small hill. The scene that greeted him made his breath catch. It was one of the most serene views he had ever seen. A small lake was quietly nuzzled at the top of this plateau. A canoe rested at the shore and a tauren tent watched over the camp site. Adam paused to search for the tauren who lived there.

All was quiet. He limped his way closer to find that the camp seemed to be abandoned. With a sigh, he crawled into the tent and lay down. Exhaustion overtook him and he fell asleep.

**…**

Prince Anduin entered the private quarters of Stormwind Keep. After inquiring with a servant, he found out his father was in his chamber resting. Anduin hesitated, wondering if he should bother him or not. He decided it would be best to get this over with and knocked on his father's chamber door. When the door opened, Varian Wrynn gave a surprised look to see his son there. "Anduin. I didn't know you were returning today."

"It's an impromptu visit, Father. May I come in?" Varian opened the door wider and stepped aside, allowing his son to enter. Anduin sat at the table located in the ante-chamber. He picked up an apple from the fruit bowl there and fiddled with it. Velen had said it would be best for Anduin to explain to his dad what had happened in Tanaris before he heard it from someone else.

Although Anduin had agreed, he still found it difficult to talk to his father about things like this. Even though they had resolved their issues for the most part on Remembrance Day, his father was still very protective of him. "So, how are your studies going?" Anduin glanced up at his father, hearing the uncertainty in his voice.

"I'm learning a lot from Velen." He shifted in his chair and set the apple down. "Dad, there's something you should know and I want you to sit and listen to the whole thing before you react."

Varian frowned at these words. He knew he wasn't going to like what Anduin was about to say. He agreed to remain quiet and Anduin told him about Marisa showing up in The Exodar, being pushed through a portal to the middle of the Tanaris desert, and the exchange of himself and Miss Alexston for the agent named Adam. Anduin left out the part where Ishana had helped him, however.

Varian was about to explode when he heard his son had been in the hands of members of the horde. But he also appreciated the efforts of Miss Alexston and Adam to protect him. The first thing he had wanted to do was order Anduin to stay inside the Keep and forget studying under Velen. But as recent events proved, even Stormwind Keep wasn't invulnerable to attack. "Where's Shaw?" That was one thing he _could_ do. The SI:7 leader should have known better than to lead du'Paige right to his son!

"He's still out searching for Adam along with the agent named Maggie." Anduin felt a little relieved that his dad didn't go ballistic over his little adventure. He turned his attention to two other matters. He had stopped to talk briefly with Kristie's father in Darnassus before returning home. "Dad, I have a question regarding Baros Alexston."

Varian eyed his son. "What about him?"

"Your judgment for his case had him doing his job, but thirty percent being paid for from House of Noble and House of Wrynn. How did you come to that decision?"

Varian sat down and leaned forward, picking up the apple Anduin had fiddled with. He took the table knife that was by the bowl and began cutting it in half. "That's an interesting story in itself, Anduin." He handed half to his son and cut a bite of his own half before continuing. "The morning of the trial, I was approached by a noble." He cut another piece. "He brought up the fact that the matter between the House of Nobles and the old Stonemason's Guild had never been resolved...which is probably why the recent events had occurred."

"With resources depleted from first the Northrend war, then Deathwing, we were never able to even set aside anything for possibly solving the issue." He cut another bite of apple off. "Now, with Hellscream pushing to take things that are not his, we will need to reserve our resources even more for possible war." He set the apple slice on a plate along with the bite and knife, suddenly not hungry. "The noble suggested that even though the city cannot afford to make recompense to the former Stonemason's Guild, there was something else that could be done to perhaps give them some satisfaction."

Anduin was listening with interest. He wondered which noble had approached his father. "We pay out of our own pockets, we lose money, they might feel some satisfaction."

Varian nodded. "Mind you, I did not want to condone their criminal actions. But the noble pointed out that if we continued to _not_ address it, more troubles will occur such as the recent bombings." He sat back. "So, I agreed that should I find Mr. Alexston not guilty, that would be the judgment. We also decided to pronounce judgment in the courtyard so that everyone could hear and word will spread."

Prince Anduin smiled. "I'll bet he is now hated by the other nobles. Which one suggested it?"

It was Varian's turn to smile now. "On the contrary, Lord Boxley actually has earned their respect to a degree."

Anduin almost choked on his apple. "Stingy old Boxley?"

Varian laughed out loud before attempting to give Anduin an admonishing look. "He may be stingy, but it's not good to apply such terms to our nobles, even in private. Besides, his frugal nature has saved this city a good amount of gold." He sobered up. "I have to wonder, though, if part of his decision was the return of his son, Adam. Perhaps a silent attempt to reconcile."

Anduin pondered on that for a few minutes, then asked, "How has the citizenry responded to this?"

"Too soon to tell for sure, but they seem to be agreeable to it."

The prince seemed satisfied with the topic and moved on to the final topic. "I have a suggestion of my own, but one that's slightly less costly than Lord Boxley's."

King Varian raised an eyebrow. "What's your suggestion?"

"It's regarding the orphanage. Kristie got me thinking about it. We haven't personally done anything for them that I recall. I would like to change that."

"Hm, this have something to do with the orphan she's looking after?" Varian paused to think of her name. "Amy Masters."

"Sort of. Kristie mentioned I should meet her, which is what got me thinking about the orphanage in the first place."

Varian nodded his head approving the thought so far. "What do you have in mind?"

"Horses. Perhaps five or so. A gift from us. One or two for the matrons and volunteers to use, the rest for the orphans to use as an activity. Plus, they would be in charge of taking care of the animals at the stables, brushing them, learning to saddle them, and so on and so forth."

Varian slapped his son on the shoulder. "Agreed. Let's make it five horses for the orphan's, and two for the matrons."

"I'll get on it now." Anduin stood up. His father stood as well.

They stared at each other for a moment before Varian pulled him into a hug. "Are you going to be here long enough for dinner tonight?" Anduin nodded before leaving. He was smiling as he exited the private section of the keep.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Anduin paused to see Lord Grayson approach. "Hello, Lord Grayson. How are you today?"

"Fine. Fine. I heard you had returned and I made a special trip here hoping to ask a favor of you."

"Favor?"

"Yes. Well, the favor isn't for me, per se. It's for Miss Kristie Alexston."

"Kristie? How is she recovering?"

"Her shoulder is healed. But mentally and spiritually, she's drained, especially with Adam still missing. She's objecting to the physical therapy she needs to restrengthen the shoulder."

Anduin nodded his head. "And you hope that if I visit, she might be encouraged to start the therapy."

"Something like that."

"I think I have an idea that might help more than just my visit," he mumbled. "I've got a couple of errands to do first. You can expect me early this afternoon, Lord Grayson."

"Thank you, Your Highness. She's staying at my house for the time being." Lord Grayson gave a bow and walked out.

**…**

"Are you still telling those lies?" Bobby stood with his hands on his hips as Amy chatted with some other girls of the orphanage. Jerome and another boy stood on either side of him.

Amy gave him an angry smirk. "It's true! I was kidnapped and made to work in a dirty old kitchen! And SI:7 agents came and rescued me!"

"Yeah, and to top it all off, you got to meet the king. What interest would the king have in a wimp like you!" Bobby gave his best intimidating stare and starting to feel triumphant at Amy's frustrated tears.

"I did! He said it was his job to protect me!"

Bobby gave a derisive laugh. "Oh, the king is now your personal body guard? This story just keeps getting better and better."

"No, he's not her personal body guard. But I can assure you, his job _is_ to protect others, including her."

Bobby turned around and his jaw dropped at the sight of Prince Anduin giving him a stern look. The boy blustered and fell to one knee as did all of the other orphans inside the building.

Prince Anduin glanced from the boy to the girl he assumed was Amy Masters. "And for the record, my father and I were talking about Miss Amy Masters this morning. So, yes, she did meet my father." He gave the boy a look reminiscent of his father. "So there will be no more arguments on that matter."

Anduin approached the girl, ignoring some giggles from a couple of older orphan girls. "Miss Masters?" The girl nodded and he held out his hand. "Come with me, please." Amy was in awe that the Prince had known her name, much less wanted to walk with her. He led her through the building and out the door, knowing the other orphans would follow. When they stepped outside, Amy gasped at the sight of seven horses waiting there.

He sat down on the steps to the orphanage and patted the spot next to him as they faced the horses. The other children gathered around them, whispering to each other about the horses they saw. "My father and I wanted to give the orphans a gift. We've been busy focusing on so many other things, that we realized we haven't really had much opportunity to visit here. Your involvement in recent adventures has brought this to light and so we decided this would be a little something to let you all know that we haven't forgotten about you."

"We will try to visit more often. If not by my father or I, then by one of the nobles." He waved his hand towards the horses. "I picked these horses out myself. They will live at the stables in Old Town. They are for the orphans to use and take care of. The matrons, of course, will be in charge of who can ride them and when. But we expect each of you to take turns caring for the animals."

He motioned for the children to go forward to pet the equines and watched them for a few minutes as he spoke to the matrons. Finally, Prince Anduin approached Amy again asking her to once again come with him. Off to the side of the building were two horses saddled and ready to ride. One was a white stallion with black mane and tail and official Stormwind banners decorating it. The other was a cream buckskin mare. "Ooo...She's pretty!" Amy pet the buckskin horse on the nose.

"She's a gift for Kristie. Wanna help me bring it to her?" Amy vigorously nodded her head and Anduin helped her into the saddle. He then mounted his own horse and led her and the two royal guards out of Cathedral Square.

"Miss Masters...May I call you Amy?" She nodded. "Good. You can call me Anduin."

To this, she protested. "Oh no! Matron Nightengale said that we must always use your proper title, Your Highness!"

"I see. Well, exceptions can be made in the case of good friends or family." He leaned over and gave a conspiratorial look. "So, can I be your friend?" She grinned broadly and nodded. "Good. Now you can call me Anduin."

"Yes, Your Highness." He gave her a look. "Erm. Uh, Anduin."

He laughed. "Amy, Kristie is staying with Lord Grayson for now because, well, she's feeling kinda down. I thought your visit along with this gift will help cheer her up."

"I didn't know Kristie knew you."

"We met recently. She...did me a favor and I wanted to show my appreciation."

They chatted about little things as they made their way through the Dwarven District, into the outskirts around Olivia's Pond and finally up into the mountain side where Grayson Shadowbreaker's house sat beautifully in an alcove.

**…**

Kristie sat at the window staring out to the back yard of Lord Graysons house. She sighed. She hadn't left this room. Even when her mom came in with a surprise...her father. She tried to give him a hug, but with her left arm refusing to obey her mental commands, she could only give him half a hug. This just seemed to depress her even more.

Baros had tried to encourage his daughter to do as Lord Grayson had said, he even tried to order her to do it. But it didn't seem to break Kristie's lethargy. "Dad, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I'm just...too tired to do this. Maybe later." She had no intention of trying later. She only said this to placate her father. He probably knew this but had left the room, giving his wife a troubled look.

A short while later, Lord Grayson entered and walked right up to Kristie. "Time to check your shoulder." Kristie just sat there, letting him move her useless arm around. She didn't look at him, nor talk to him. Sure, it was rude, but she didn't care. He was being rude by not letting her go home. The only thing that let him know she was aware of his rotating her arm and shoulder was an occasional grimace.

"That's enough for now." He let her arm go and stood there watching her. "You're not confined to your room, you know." She shrugged one shoulder. "I think it's time you leave your room."

"I don't want to."

"Too bad." He leaned in and picked her up before she realized what he was doing. She kicked and protested until he dumped her on a couch in the sitting room. "You have five minutes to pull yourself together. You have company."

"I don't want to see anybody. I just want to be left alone."

"Suit yourself. Your company is coming in no matter how you look. And whether you like it or not."

She threw him a glare. "I'm not one of your trainee's. You can't order me around!"

"No. But I can." Prince Anduin stood in the doorway with a bit of a surprised look on his face. This wasn't the same woman who had done whatever it took to get them to safety in Tanaris. Why was she suddenly just giving up?

Kristie quickly stood and gave the prince a curtsey, quickly using her good hand to smooth her hair back and out of her face. "Your Highness."

"I thought we were on more friendly terms. Call me Anduin, remember?" He gave her an uncertain smile.

Kristie couldn't bring herself to say anything. Lord Grayson spoke for her. "She's feeling sorry for herself because the surgery that saved her life left her arm useless. And she seems to have no confidence in me to help her get the use of her arm back."

"I see." Anduin stepped up to Kristie, studying her for a moment. "I have a feeling, it's more than her arm that's bothering her." He then stepped back and changed the subject. "Kristie, I'm here for two reasons. The first, is to let you know that I kept a promise of mine." He stepped over to the door and motioned for someone to enter.

Kristie's eye's lit up as Amy walked into the room. The orphan came over and gave her a huge hug, not noticing that Kristie could hug her back with only one arm. "Kristie! I missed you! Can you believe it? Prince Anduin came and told off Bobby and Jerome! Then he gave a bunch of horses to the orphanage! We don't have to rent horses anymore! And guess what!"

Kristie almost smiled at Amy's enthusiasm. "What?"

"Come on! I'll show you!" Luckily, Amy took her right hand instead of her left and pulled her out of her sitting room, into the hallway, down the stairs and out the front door where two horses stood. Anduin and Grayson had followed. "Isn't she a beauty?" Amy went up to the buckskin. "I got to ride her all the way here from the orphanage!"

Kristie couldn't help but agree. "Yes, she's beautiful. Is she one of the horses for the orphanage?"

Prince Anduin answered for Amy. "No. She's yours."

Kristie nearly gasped. "Why?"

"Call it a thank you gift. A show of my appreciation for your quick thinking and protection."

She scoffed. "I didn't do much protecting. You protected me more than I you."

"You came up with the idea to call me your brother. And you showed me how not to stand and look like a prince. Not everyone is that quick-thinking on their feet. Even I wasn't." He gave her a smile. "Now you can go horseback riding with Amy for more than just once a month."

Kristie's eyes moistened and she gave the slightest hint of a smile as she walked up to the mare. Then she stopped and a pained look came over her face. "I can't." She turned to look at the prince. "I can't ride horses if my arm is useless."

Anduin stared right back at her with his clear blue eyes. "So? Make it useful again."

Before Kristie could respond, Amy stepped up. "Yeah! Make it useful! Then we can go horseback riding and can even invite Adam!"

Kristie opened her mouth as a wave of sadness came over her. "Adam is..." How was she going to tell Amy that Adam was captured by the horde and that she may never see him again?

Anduin stepped over and finished her sentence for her. "...coming home eventually." He ave Kristie a meaningful look and then looked at Amy. "He's busy right now protecting someone he cares about. And _when_ he comes back, I'm sure he'll want to go riding with you both."

Kristie stepped back, giving Lord Grayson a reserved look. "Just how many people do you plan to bring in to get me to do this therapy of yours?"

Grayson gave her a self-confident grin. "As many as it takes until you agree." And just to prove he meant it, he leaned in to say, "I've got Gemma coming in any minute now. I'm still trying to get ahold of Nelson. And I'm asking your father later which of your childhood friends are best to contact."

Kristie sighed.

"Don't make me put my crown on and order you to do this, Kristie." Prince Anduin was by her side, speaking softly, but firmly.

"I really don't have a choice in this, do I?"

Prince Anduin and Lord Grayson answered at the same time. "Nope!"


	26. Chapter 26

_Clomp_. _Clomp_. _Clomp_. Silence. Adam stirred as the sound stopped nearby. _Shuffle_. _Clink_. His eyes opened. He wasn't alone. This camp wasn't abandoned after all. He sat up, wincing at sore muscles. How long had he been asleep? Adam glanced around the inside of the tent. It was well made. Perhaps he could sneak out underneath. _Clomp_. _Clomp_.

Adam barely breathed. He wanted to keep his presence unknown for as long as possible. His own body, it seemed, begged to differ as it growled in protest of not being fed for at least a full day. _Snort_. _Clomp_ _clomp_ _clomp_ _clomp_. _Swish_. _Crackle_.

The tent flap opened and a female tauren looked inside, her brown eyes flashing in warning. Electricity sparked between fingertips on one of her hands. Recognizing her as a shaman and about ready to shoot a lightening bolt at him, Adam lifted his hands in surrender. "I'm unarmed."

The tauren snorted, looking him up and down. After a moment, the electricity disappeared from her fingertips, but she did not move. "What are you doing here, human?"

She had a simple gown on covering her fawn and white fur. "I was resting. I'm sorry for intruding. I thought this place abandoned."

"As you can see, it is not. Begone!"

Adam tried to stand, but fell back in pain. Looking down at his broken foot, he could feel that it had swollen. His leather boot looked ready to rip at the seams. He gently tugged the boot off, grimacing at the sharp pain as he did so. His bare foot was swollen. It's purplish black and blue coloring a testament to it's injured state. His toes were crooked and at an angle they should not be.

With a sigh, the tauren knelt beside him and began to examine his foot. "What happened?"

"A dryad stepped on it when I was avoiding her spear."

"What were you doing in Feralas?"

He hesitated. How did she know he had been in Feralas? He didn't want to admit to a member of the horde that he had just escaped a tauren camp. "I was helping a friend and got lost." Well, half truths work.

Her eyes moved to his side where his leather vest had been ripped and some blood had begun to crust over a deep gash. One three fingered hand touched the area and he flinched. "The corrupted dryads usually poison their spears."

Adam glanced down at the gash. Great. So much for his luck turning. There was no way he could escape this tauren with his injuries. Would she return him to that camp? Or will she just leave him be and let the poison finish him off?

More sounds outside the tent and a female voice called out in orcish. The tauren looked him in the eyes, then answered. The tent flap moved and an orc female appeared. The two spoke in their language as the tauren stood up, turning her back to Adam. He decided this was going to be his only opportunity. Quietly, he moved to the side of the tent and began to lift the bottom of it. Ducking his head, he began to slide himself underneath.

Two strong hands grabbed his legs and easily pulled him back inside. "Where do you think you're going?" The tauren growled out.

"You told me to begone, so I was going."

She snorted and shook her head, the hair of her mane shaking as she did so. "Things have changed. Stay put!"

He glanced at the orc woman who was frowning at him. Another sound outside told him more horde had arrived. Adam closed his eyes, cursing his bad luck.

**…**

Kristie glared at Lord Grayson as he ordered her to lift her arm again. After she had finally agreed, well, relented and accepted her fate to be tortured by this man, he had immediately begun forcing her to work on her arm. At first, it was simply him moving and rotating her arm, allowing the muscles to remember their job. Her shoulder muscles protested and ached as a result, but eventually began to settle into their new requirements.

That had been the first day. The second day, he had asked her to try and lift her arm. She had given him an _'I told you so'_ look when nothing happened. He had only nodded his head and rotated her arm again. He had asked her again and again to do that until finally, she was able to lift her arm just a little bit.

Now, a week later, she was able to lift her arm up parallel to the ground, but still had trouble lifting it above her head. Each new thing he had asked brought more aches and pains to her arm. But there was no denying that it was beginning to strengthen again.

"Again." Kristie groaned, but did as told. He examined the arm, pushing and prodding the muscle, finally telling her she can drop the arm. She let out a breath and was grateful for the cool breeze that blew across her face. They were working out on the back porch today. She had noted that the sculpture she had started what seemed like ages ago was still there, only moved off to the side now. It was still covered, though she suspected he might have looked underneath the cloth.

A heavy thump brought her attention back in front of her. Lord Grayson had picked up a block of what looked like soapstone and placed it on a table in front of her. She eyed him as he pulled something else out and laid it on the table. Her tools. Of course he would have them, she had left them there. Kristie slowly shook her head as it began to dawn on her what he was expecting of her.

He ignored her negativity. "Gemma tells me this is one of the softest stones to use for sculpting. You've come far enough along that I think we can take it a step further. Pick up the hammer."

"I can hardly lift my arm, Grayson." Formal titles went out the window the moment she grudgingly agreed to let him work with her. "I can't even lift it above my head!"

"You don't have to lift it above your head." He glanced at the doorway and gave a slight shake of his head. She assumed it was another servant wanting to bring in afternoon tea or something.

She ignored the servant. "I'm not ready."

Lord Grayson leaned forward, making sure her eyes were locked on his one good eye. She didn't see him raise his hand to signal to whomever was at the back door to wait. "You've been saying that since before you started, Alexston. You've been fighting me from the get go and I think it's about time you start fighting for yourself."

Kristie closed her eyes and tried to find something, some stronger desire to actually do this, but she only felt empty inside. "I...can't. I don't have any reason...I don't have any strength left, Grayson. I just...can't."

"Wrong. I know you have what it takes to get through this. _You_ just don't know it yet. You're not broken yet, Alexston. What will it take to give you back your will to fight for yourself?"

She kept her eyes closed as only one thing came to mind. "Adam."

There was a moment of silence as Lord Grayson softened his voice. "Then do it for him. Strengthen your shoulder so that when he returns you can show him what you did for him."

Kristie recalled that day at the waterfalls and suddenly shook her head. "No." Her own voice was soft and no longer had defiance in it. "He would want me to do it for myself."

"Then do it for yourself and make him proud."

She felt something pressed against her hand and opened her eyes to see Grayson handing her the hammer. She grasped it with her left hand. When he pulled his hand away, it fell to her side, but she still gripped it. With her right hand, she picked up a chisel. It didn't matter which one she used. She wouldn't be able to create anything really.

Kristie concentrated on lifting her left arm with the added weight of the hammer. It was difficult and slow-going. Her arm seemed to resist her mental commands at first, but as she continued to put her strength into it, she slowly was able to lift the hammer. Perspiration formed on her forehead as she continued her concentration. She held her breath to give it her all as she finally allowed herself to drop the hammer onto the head of the chisel, chipping off a piece of the soft soapstone.

Kristie let out her breath and let the hammer drop on the table. That was about all she could do, truly. A hand rested on her shoulder and a soft voice full of pride spoke behind her. "That's my girl."

Kristie froze. It couldn't be! She looked up Lord Grayson who was smiling. He nodded his head. Slowly, as though afraid to find herself wrong, she turned around to look up into Adam's proud and loving gaze. "You're here." She stood up into his embrace and kissed him before he could disappear, her one good arm wrapping around him. His strong arms encircled her waist and she felt suddenly at home. Behind him, unnoticed by her, Shaw and Maggie grinned.

A minute later, his right hand slowly made it's way down to hers, taking the chisel out of it and holding it up. With a mischievous smile, he softly said, "You attack me with this?" Kristie laughed for the first time in a week. She hugged him again before pulling back and turning around to glare at Lord Grayson. "You knew he was there the whole time!"

Grayson grinned. "Yeah, but I knew you could do it without him. And you proved me right."

Kristie gave him a smile, despite her dislike of his methods of rehabilitation. She turned back to Adam. "What happened?"

He told her about his adventure up to the point of waking up in the tauren's tent and finding the shaman and her orc friend there. "I seriously thought I was done for and going to be taken to Orgrimmar."

"Luckily for him, they were a part of the Earthen Ring and were neutral to both horde and alliance." Mathias joined in.

"Yeah, and about the time we showed up to save the day." Maggie grinned.

Kristie went over to them and gave Maggie a hug, then kissed Mathias on his right cheek. The SI:7 leader gave a surprised grin and took a step forward towards Kristie's retreating back. Maggie put her hand on Shaw's arm and muttered under her breath, "She's spoken for..._and_ too young for you."

He chuckled. "I know. But the left cheek is awfully jealous."

Maggie grinned. "I can fix that." She kissed his left cheek. Then turned back to watch Adam and Kristie.

"Hm. I think the left cheek got the better deal."

Maggie glanced back at him with some surprise. She had never thought a possible chance with him until now. He seemed too much out of her reach. She grinned mischievously. "Sorry, but I don't have time to try and even things out right now. Another time, perhaps."

"Perhaps."

Baros frowned as he stepped up beside Mathias, watching his daughter kiss Adam with a frown. "Shaw," he muttered under his breath. "I'm going to shoot you."

Shaw sighed. _Here it comes_. But Elenor spoke up first. "Hush, Baros. He's good for her. More importantly, she's happy."

Baros snorted. "He's a _rogue_, Elenor!"

"Nothing wrong with that." Shaw grumbled. Elenor and Maggie pushed Baros and Shaw back inside the house before they came to blows in front of Kristie.

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

* * *

><p>Marisa du'Paige stepped out of the Stockades and had to pause to let her eyes adjust to the bright sunlight, the gem in her magic-preventing collar sparkled in the light. She was led down the cobblestone path towards a bridge. Her escorts included four royal guards and a battle mage. She smirked at the knowledge that she had required so much security just to take her to the final day of her trial.<p>

It didn't matter much to her that they had caught her. She had accomplished most of what she had set out to do. She laid much of Stormwind City to waste. She saw VanCleef's vision come to pass with the juggernaut laying seige to Stormwind Harbor. She saw Baros Alexston suffer and Kristie killed. In addition, the brother of her father's killer got to watch his love die at her hands. Yes, she was satisfied. Her vengeance had been hard and swift once her plan was put into place.

They led her to Stormwind Keep and inside to the throne room where King Varian stood in front of his throne. Another man stood next to him that she could only guess was the famed King Genn Graymane. Prince Anduin stood on the other side of the king. Her only response to seeing him there was a slight narrowing of her eyes. So, the prince had survived the desert. No matter. She hadn't really actually planned to do anything to him. His banishment to the Tanaris desert was impromptu. And she knew there was no hope for Kristie once that stone had been placed on her shoulder.

Varian Wrynn's blue eyes were hard as he started the proceedings. There was a full attendance of the House of Nobles off to each side of him. "Marisa du'Paige. Your case has been reviewed and discussed among the House of Nobles and myself." He pulled out a rolled parchment. "Charges against Marisa du'Paige. Willful destruction of Stormwind City walls, buildings, and harbor. Attempted destruction of Stormwind Keep. Damage to various buildings in Goldshire. Damage to fixtures in the Deadmines and theft of the juggernaut from there."

As he read the list, Marisa smiled and held her head up proudly of her deeds. "The taking of 108 citizens from Stormwind, Goldshire, and Westfall and holding them hostage. Injury of 54 citizens as a result of your actions. Death of six citizens as a result of your actions. Torture of Nelson Chantly and Kristie Alexston. Extortion and blackmail of Baros Alexston with attempt to frame him for your own misdeeds. Endangerment of the Crown Prince of Stormwind." That last statement came out with a growl.

"Injury and illegal detainment of two high ranking Paladin's on duty, and four SI:7 agents. Impersonating an SI:7 agent. Illegal possession of a forbidden magical artifact. And finally, but not least, the attempted murder of Kristie Alexston."

"_ATTEMPTED?_" Marisa had been taking everything in stride until this statement. She scoffed at the very idea that she might be alive. There was no way. Too much time had passed! She couldn't have survived!

"Yes. Attempted. As in you didn't succeed." Marisa's jaw dropped in hateful surprise as Kristie and Adam stepped out from behind where her parents, Mathias, and Maggie stood. Both Wrynn's bore matching smiles of satisfaction at her reaction, as did Kristie and Adam.

Marisa was enraged. She tried to race forward, even though she could not use magic and her hands were tied behind her back, she still wanted to tear them apart. The royal guards quickly and easily held her back as the battle mage held his sword to her chest.

Adam stepped forward. "Your mistake was sending her to the middle of nowhere with Prince Anduin, who, as many know by now, is a priest. His healing spells slowed the Morsuleto Stone's effectiveness enough to let us get her to Lady Proudmoore. She knew how to remove the stone safely." Adam couldn't help but feel smug at her fury.

King Wrynn stepped forward now. "This court has unanimously found you guilty on all counts. You shall spend the rest of your life in the stockades with no chance for pardon or parole."

She struggled against her guards as she suddenly turned to the king. "Give me death! I welcome it!"

Varian gave a cold smile before responding. "I'm sure you would. But seeing as you had no problem giving out pain and suffering to others, it's only right that you would feel it for yourself in the stockades!"

Marisa swore, ranted, and raved her hatred for everyone there until the battle mage had enough and cast a silence spell on her. He turned to the king with a bow. "Forgive me, your highness. I felt there was enough noise pollution. Perhaps it is time to...clean up the throne room as well?" Varian nodded and Marisa was taken away kicking and silently screaming.

After she had left, Varian addressed Baros. "I hear you have a new employee."

Baros smiled proudly. "Gemma Stoneshard has agreed that my daughter has fulfilled her requirements and has now graduated from her schooling. Kristie will start working for me as soon as her therapy is finished." He paused and motioned for Gemma to bring something forward. "We've discussed this amongst ourselves and have come to the conclusion that we would like to present her final project to the you and the House of Nobles."

The dwarf placed the sculpture on a pedestal in front of the royal family and nobles. She then took the cover off to show two hands, one touching the callouses of the other. Kristie stepped forward nervously with a quick curtsey. "As someone once pointed out to me, the callouses on my hands were created through hard work and pride in what I was doing. I wanted this to be a reminder to both the House of Nobles and the stonemason's of the city of just what we all do for each other...and to take pride in ourselves and our jobs." She glanced down, not really one for speeches. "And perhaps we'll not see another incident as we have recently." She stepped back.

King Varian glanced at his son, then back at Kristie. "Thank you for your gift, Miss Alexston." He then looked at the nobles gathered in the room. "And I'm sure the House of Nobles thanks you." There were nods from most of the nobles. "Your work shows much promise. I look forward to seeing more of your work around the city."

Later, Adam and Kristie walked hand in hand in the cemetery until they came to a stop in front of Ruben Boxley's grave. "He would have liked you."

Kristie smiled sadly. "I wish I could have met him."

They walked up past the wedding gazebo and stopped at the large tree nearby. The same tree that Adam had climbed to scare the two bullies and help Amy. "Kristie, there's a couple of things I want to ask you." She looked at him silently waiting for the first question. "What are your intentions for Amy?"

At her confused look, he clarified. "Do you plan to adopt her?"

Kristie blinked in surprise at the question. "I've...considered it. I'd like to, but I really cannot provide for her just yet. I'm sure my parents would help...but it doesn't seem fair to them. Why?"

"I want to adopt her."

Kristie felt something grip her heart as she looked away. She didn't know what to say.

He gently pulled her face to look at him again. "I want...us...to adopt her." He took her hand and drew her close. "Marry me?"

The grip around her heart broke as a smile blossomed on her face. There was no doubt or indecision. "Yes." He dipped his head to kiss her and the two knew nothing else except each other for the next few minutes.

They finally parted, Adam smiling from ear to ear. "Come on. Let's go talk to Matron Nightengale."

* * *

><p><strong>The End<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: <em>

_There are still some unresolved issues, most glaringly Adam's relationship with his father, and Baros' obvious dislike of a rogue for a possible son-in-law. And just what is the deal between Shaw and Baros anyhow? Hehe. It might be grounds for a sequel. We'll see. :)_

_I hope you all enjoyed the story.  
><em>


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